 Indonesian city of Medan provides aid for injured, homeless |
|||||||||||
|
by Linda Bloom |
 |
||||||||||
MEDAN, Indonesia (UMNS) – On the streets of Medan – where motorcycles, trucks, mini-buses and pedi-cabs sluggishly push past a landscape of small shops and meandering people – the effect of the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated the Aceh Province to the north is not immediately apparent. But at the Rumah Sakit Methodist Hospital, along with other hospitals in the area, survivors of the tsunami are receiving the medical care they couldn’t get earlier. For some, like a 20-year-old man with an amputation, the consequences have been severe. Others suffer from malaria, pneumonia or leg fractures. On Jan. 12, one of the hospital’s patients is a 28-year-old man from Banda Aceh, Mr. Supriadi, who developed an infection in his foot and leg after being stranded for three days on the roof of a building. A member of that city’s search and rescue team, he had tried to outrun the wave on his motorcycle. Pushed aside by the water, he swam to the roof and waited for help. Even after help arrived, it was difficult to reach Medan, he says. Because flights between the two cities were too crowded, friends escorted him on the bus. A Methodist church member then brought him to the hospital. It’s not just the injured who are coming to Medan. Many have arrived from Aceh Province, their homes lost in the tsunami. The Gereja Methodist Indonesia (Methodist Church of Indonesia) has assisted some 900 refugees by providing food, blankets and some cash, according to the Rev. Bunsui Tigor, a local pastor involved in relief efforts. A section of Medan used in 1965 as a camp for ethnic Chinese fleeing persecution from the Aceh Province has today become a boisterous center for tsunami survivors. About 7,000 already have registered there, according to Dr. Ace Andriadi, the center’s director. Some are living with relatives in the city, but about 200 sleep in empty houses nearby. Roughly 2,000 people stop by the center every day to collect food, he says, and 20 doctors are available for medical care. Support – particularly in the form of supplies – comes from a variety of countries, including Malaysia, China, Singapore and Thailand. Eight women from Banda Aceh, all friends, have carved out a space for themselves at the center. Through a translator, they recall how they were alerted to the impending disaster as people ran through the streets shouting “water coming, water coming.” A man on a motorcycle reported the water to be waist high, compelling some to seek shelter on the second and third floors of an unlocked mosque. With little food available after the tsunami swept through the city, the women decided to leave for Medan. But they’re not sure what they are going to do in the future. Through the assistance of Indonesian Methodists, at least 400 schoolchildren from Banda Aceh, including Muslim children, have registered so far to attend a Methodist school in Medan during the recovery period.
Date posted: Jan 14, 2005 |
|||||||||||
