Tsunami survivors in Java plead for help
Jakarta (AsiaNews) Survivors plead for help and fear they might be overlooked. In Pangandaran, the beach resort that took the brunt of the tsunami, they are as many as 23,000 people in need of assistance. They are the lucky ones, so far the death toll stands at 379 people but is bound to change.
Local residents, including Catholics, are doing their level-best wherever official aid has not yet arrived. But hundreds of refugees, after spending the night in emergency shelters set up in mosques and open fields, are complaining that local authorities have not provided them with enough food, water and clothing.
"I don't have anything to put on," said Tuminah, who still has no news about her two children, "and there is no food or water."
"We had only one meal since last night," said Parsono Anjar Sumyana from Purbahayu, near Pangandaran. "Our camp is sheltering about 2,000 people but we have only 24 kilos of rice."
Ciamis Regency officials said they are not responsible for the delays plaguing aid delivery, explaining that "there are many obstacles that prevent or slow down transportation."
In Cilacap, another badly-damaged area, some 2,500 displaced people have gone home after fleeing to higher ground yesterday fearful of other quakes.
In addition to survivors who need food and shelter, there are also many injured in need of medical attention. Central Java authorities announced they will foot the bill for survivors' medical expenses. And today Indonesian Vice President announced US$ 100 million for the first phase in the government's post-tsunami aid package.
In West Java's capital of Bandung, Catholics report that churches in Pangandaran and Cipatujah were damaged. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Tasikmalayaha, which is 50 kilometres from Pangandaran, has opened an aid station on its premises and started raising money for the victims.
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