God Gives Acehnese People of Indonesia, Second Chance To Live (SWC)

Jackie Chan When he Visited Aceh After tsunami

We are People from Aceh, northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Some of us survive from Tsunami and Earthquake that killed 170.000 People, here is our near death story.

Tsunami hit Aceh at the end of December 2004, the most victim are in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Pulo Aceh. Some of Acehnese survive by climbing the trees, stay at the roof of their homes and go up on to higher place, like what Simeulue Island people do.

That natural disaster starts with a massive earthquake, near 9.0 richer scales. Some of building collapses and many people dies in that earth quake.

After the quake, we are facing the wave from the sea. The brown color of sea water flooding the city in 5 meters high, this is what make more people passed away. There is no alarm that time, and some people in West Aceh, Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar not educate well about this natural disaster by their ancestor, not like Simelue island people did.

After the tsunami, Aceh in 4 years back facing another disaster. Pidie Jaya earthquake we call it. Hundreds of people dies, some of them trap in their home that bloody morning.

I am the victim of that two event, so where I am that time, why i gives the chance from god to stay alive? Here is my story.

In the middle of 2004, I move to Banda Aceh to pursue my degree in Teaching Training English, I have been accepted in that faculty after university test. And then I begin to study my first semester there.

Some of My other friend in high school accepted to continue their study to Al-Azhar University in Egypt. After the tsunami they think I already dead because the early issue in Egypt all Acehnese death by tsunami.
I stay with my cousin in his home, even I have my own home beside his home, but my home is empty because it’s new and don’t have the electricity yet.

In the early morning of December 26, 2004 we feel an earthquake; it’s never been in my whole life in my life before. This is my first time and it is too hard, my bed shaking and i don’t know how to run away, because I am in my room and cousin home is still shaking, I am shock and afraid but I stay in my bed, wait for earthquake stop.

When it stop I am in hurry come downstairs and see what happen to my family, they are already outside of the home and some cries and some of them shocked.

All of people in that village now sit outside and try to reach their other member of family that live in other city, asking if the same earthquake also happen to them or not?

But our sadness is not over yet, one hour later big wave of sea water destroy the city. Some of us run and my aunty suggest us to go to second floor of my home and stay there, because my home at that time is the strongest and the highest building in Kampung Mulia, Banda Aceh, Aceh.

Source
I saw by my own eyes building collapses, people shouting for help, next to my home that now become like sea because now water all around kampung mulia already 3 meters deep.

We try to help people who are drowning near to us, and some of the victim climbs by them self to this house. We saw boat; roofs, wood and furniture come along with the sea water that terrible day.

We spent the day without food and water because all of food swept away by water. We are surrounding by water for a day and now bodies of people who are drowned.
We cannot go anywhere and the earth still shaking once in four hours, we spent the night like a nightmare with bodies under my home and that night we can hear indistinct people calling for help.
When the sunshine we decide to move to the city finding help, maybe we can go back to our village in Sigli, 100km from Banda Aceh, where I was born and we also have home there.

We tried to walk in the massive place that surrounded by broken building, and the foundation of home and massive log from building that cover the street.

We try to walk and we can see the dead people lies everywhere. They like burn by something and the stomach already big, some of them naked and we tries to cover them by the clothes that we find nearby.

We are keeps walking, until we find another people who also try to survive by finding help to the saver places. We walk further to go far away from the sea -Nowadays there still some of people in Aceh trauma, so they not build house near the sea anymore- and luckily my uncle finds a car who want to deliver us to our other uncle somewhere in Aceh Besar.
We cross the city in that pick up car, by seeing so many sad face, their lost their family, we see some people cries and some adults man hugs their wife, and hold her hand to tell that he will always be with her to start a new life.

And the third day of tsunami we can see people from the red cross Indonesia who come to city, they come to find bodies and bury them far away from where the disaster occurs.

Sumber

It’s so hard to clean the street from the wreck of the homes, some of villager who stays at their home to protect they home from the thief also burn the wood and the furniture that cannot use anymore.

The help now come from other countries, Germany army came and they stay in city hospital to help people who is injuries by tsunami disaster, Turkey people helps us by came with the small bread maker and feed Acehnese people in city Mosque.

That is how we survive and stay alive after the natural disaster that makes us as Acehnese facing Near Death Experience.