Survivors in the village of Muntei, on Pagai Selatan. Photo: SurfAid
Like all SurfAid staff, Lamhot Purba has a day job. He has lived in the Mentawai for the past year, providing the technical expertise to enable SurfAid to implement clean water facilities in several communities throughout the islands. Two days ago Lamhot accepted responsibility for a new job, and he has been Team Leader for the assessment and distribution that SurfAid has implemented in the affected communities of Southern Sipora.
Lamhot knows one of these villages particularly well. He spent several weeks living in Gobik in July, managing the installation of a gravity-fed clean water system that took fresh water from a stream outside the village and piped it to a tank in the village centre. Ironically, this concrete structure, designed to keep water in, was one of the few man-made objects that managed to keep the water out when the tsunami wave arrived on Monday night, October 25th.
The Gobik water tank, built by SurfAid and the local community this year, survived the tsunami. Photo: SurfAid
Today Lamhot was back in that same village, talking to people who became his friends, assessing the damage to their lives and trying to assist them by distributing food and shelter, thanks to the generosity of the New Zealand Aid Programme, AusAID and our supporters. This effort was also possible due to the assistance of the charter boat the Indies Trader III, and Bob Hurley and his friends who had swapped their surf trip to assist SurfAid’s relief effort.
There were 23 houses in Gobik last week, now there are four houses (and a functional water tank). Seven of the community were killed by the tsunami, one person is still missing and is unlikely to be found alive now. The death and destruction in Gobik is mirrored in the other little communities huddled together in the same corner at the bottom of Sipora Island.
In the past two days, Lamhot has been joined by our field staff Dian, Albertina and Wati (who was in Bosua when the wave came), and by the captain, crew and guests of the Indies Trader III. They have visited Bosua, Beriulou and Masokut, in addition to Gobik.
This is what is left of Masokut. Only one house remained standing after the earthquake and tsunami. Photo: SurfAid
In total these communities have lost 70% of their original 385 houses. Twenty people died, one is missing, a dozen were seriously injured. Tsunamis like this kill a disproportionately large number of women, children and the elderly, because they have less capacity to hang on as the wave recedes.
Lamhot and his colleagues spent two days in these communities, and provided enough support to keep them alive and make them a little bit more comfortable.
“The communities of Beriulou and Masokut had received very little assistance before we arrived,” Lamhot said. “They really appreciated the shelter and food we were able to provide, and the basic kitchen equipment to help them start to cook for themselves. They really thank SurfAid, and the Indies Trader III guests.”
On other matters, we distributed food and shelter/hygiene/building kits:
+ We sent Indies Trader III to South Sipora.
+ We sent Indies Trader IV to two communities (details below).
+ Charter boat Huey tried to reach Tumale and Gogoa (the place Tom was in his video) but got no further than Silabu.
+ Mangalui targeted villages along the west coast of Pagai Selatan, assisted by Sibex
+ Our cargo boat is in Sikakap waiting for a break in the weather so we will be able to start distributing aid supplies from the boat.
The weather is absolutely foul, and Indies Trader IV measured a wind gust at 68 knots. We can only hope for better tomorrow.
Read more updates from SurfAid International’s tsunami outreach and make a donation to the cause.
