Panic in the streets
AFSC staff Nadine Hoover reports on the most recent Indonesian earthquake
Nadine Hoover, AFSC's Indonesia Coordinator for Relief and Recovery, is staying at Meulaboh on the coast of Sumatra near the quake epicenter. She lives in a house with staff and volunteers from SHEEP, the Society for Health Education and Environment, AFSC's partner organization in Indonesia. AFSC has supported six delegations of SHEEP medical volunteers working in the area surrounding Meulaboh since the December tsunami struck.
Monday, March 28, 2005
I was sleeping at 11:10 p.m. when Mia, a SHEEP staff member, came in shouting, "Get up, get up! Earthquake!"
From a deep sleep I didn't register what was being said. I sat up and Mia led me by the hand in the dark. As I came through the bedroom door I felt like I was drunk, wobbling and stumbling. The other volunteers and staff were saying, "Everyone out of the building."
SHEEP house in Meulaboh.
Photo: Lindsey Rosenberg
As I came to the front door I was waking up and realized it was not me that was stumbling, it was the earth that was swimming. Panic was in the air.
Almost precisely three months after the tsunami [of December 26], just when the reality of [that disaster] was sinking in, to have an 8.2 earthquake was more than people could stand. Everyone ran. Many people jumped from second floors, fell in the street, and were hit by cars. Families got split in the rush, adding to their fears and sadness.
It was dark. When the earth stopped it was like having sea legs. It was about twelve hours before I felt my walking return to normal.
Providing aid and comfort
Once the earthquake was over, the SHEEP doctor, Dr. Adit, and women staff and volunteers took the valuables and drove with the crowd to higher ground while the younger men stayed at the house. Not far from the house we turned into the hospital. All the doctors had fled, but the place was mobbed with people. We went to work.
The hospital was not equipped even as a clinic. It was more like a place for sick people to gather. It was dirty and in disarray. There was practically no medicine. The store room was a shambles. I began to organize the store room so we knew what was there.
A woman across the street was alone with her four children and went into labor. Everyone had run away so our midwife went to assist. After I cleaned the store room some, I sat with women who were traumatized. They were crying and shaking.
A woman across the street was alone with her four children and went into labor. Everyone had run away so our midwife went to assist.
"My mother stayed with me," one woman said. "My sister came from Jakarta to take her away, but she stayed with me. She didn't want me to be alone here….She has high blood pressure and a heart condition. She can't take this. But she's here because of me. I was so scared for her. I didn't care if I died. I just didn't want her to die."
The woman continued: "I saw a car with an empty seat. I begged: ‘Take her away, please, take her away.' I put her in the car. But she is sick. I don't know where they are or how to find her. I don't know where she is."
The woman cried and cried. I held her and gave her time to let her body try to process what was going on.
After a while I whispered to her, "You've done well. You've done the best you could for her. You took care of her the best you could. She knows that."
She cried and rested, cried and rested. When she was winding down, I said, "Now it's time to rest. There's nothing to do right now, but later we will need our energy. Rest now." She lay down. I sat with my hand on her back until her breathing returned to normal.
Checking in
We worked and slept at the hospital until five in the morning. When the hospital was clear of people we went home. Dr. Adit stayed in case anyone else came.
Some of the SHEEP team members were at Peunaga Pasi, a village on the Indian Ocean. [Read about Peunaga Pasi villagers' efforts to rebuild their lives.] Peunaga Pasi residents almost all stayed and are continuing their work because they were so reassured by the presence of SHEEP volunteers. [SHEEP volunteers in Peunaga Pasi also helped calm fears that another tsunami was imminent.]
Residents of other villages where SHEEP works have run to the barracks, so work at those sites has stalled.
Editor's Note: Nadine also reports that, the morning after the earthquake struck, neighbors were terrified by rumors of a flood. Nadine and SHEEP staff members calmed their neighbors and reassured them that any flooding was likely due to recent rain showers and not an impending tsunami.
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