Landslides in mountainous areas of West Sumatra

Six days after the deadly earthquake which stroke the island of Sumatra, a rescue team is digging what has been a huge landslide in the village of Gunung Tiga, the 3 hills. “When the earthquake happened panic rose and everybody ran outside, which explains why nobody died in the village centre under the houses collapsing”, tells Ms Nurbaiti, one of its former inhabitants. But when people realized there was no water in the river in the center of the village, they understood that landslides had occurred further up in the hills and that a natural dam had been created. Fearing a sudden break of the dam and a deadly water release, the whole community flew to a community shelter located high enough. Ms Nurbaiti, who lives down the hill in the village centre of Gunung Tiga, feared the worst when her relatives still had not joined the community shelter two days after the disaster.

On this day, she sits alone not far from the rescuers who continue searching for survivors but most of all for bodies. 8 people are still missing after being trapped by the 100-meter wide landslide. Two of her family members were found dead a day before and emotion is rising for Ms Nurbaiti, as the rescue team announced the discovery of a third body, that of her aunt.
But not only was Ms Nurbaiti’s family severely affected by the aftermath of the earthquake, but she also lost her home and most of her belongings. She hasn’t received any assistance so far except for two kilos of rice and one cup of instant noodle from the government. Owning only a small plot of land with coconuts and cacao trees, Ms Nurbaiti already had financial difficulties to send her three sons to high school prior to the earthquake. Now, things are worse.  

In addition to food, Ms Nurbaiti confirms that she will now need a shelter, kitchen utensils and economic support to rebuild a house and find a way back to normal life. Ms Nurbaiti is one of the many victims of the earthquake in the region of Padang and in the village of Gunung Tiga, where 80 percent of the houses are completely destroyed or too damaged to be used safely.

Already active in the nearby island of Nias, ACTED has been able to assess the needs on the ground since October 2nd. Today, with other members of Alliance 2015, an alliance of seven major European aid agencies, our teams are working to set up emergency activities aimed at clearing the rubbles and providing basic financial means for these populations, through Cash-for-Work interventions.