Earthquake survivors losing patience
Indonesians taking food from damaged buildings
PALU, Indonesia — Climbing over reeking piles of sodden food and debris, a crowd on Wednesday searched a warehouse wrecked in Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami for anything they could salvage: cans of condensed milk, soft drinks, rice, candy and painkillers.
A trickle of emergency aid is reaching parts of Sulawesi island only now, five days after the quake that killed more than 1,400 people, and some survivors are taking matters into their own hands.
“We came here because we heard there was food,” said Rehanna, a 23-year-old student. “We need clean water, rice.”
Elsewhere in the hard-hit city of Palu, residents cheered as they swarmed a truck that was finally delivering aid.
Indonesian authorities have been struggling to get relief to survivors who have been left without food, water, fuel and medicine after Friday’s magnitude 7.5 quake and tsunami.
The official death toll rose to 1,407 on Wednesday, with thousands injured and more than 70,000 displaced, said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited the disaster zone Wednesday for a second time, saying there’s still work to be done, but that conditions were improving.
“We are going in phases. There are lots of things happening related to evacuation, as aid and fuel are also coming in,” he said, noting that 30 people remain buried under rubble at the Roa Roa Hotel in Palu.
The U.N. estimated that some 200,000 people need assistance, announcing a $15 million allocation to bolster relief efforts.
Australia said it will send 50 medical professionals as part of a $3.6 million aid package. The U.N. said the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs has asked UNICEF to send social workers to support vulnerable children who are alone or became separated from their families.
Following widespread looting and aid vehicles being stopped and surrounded by people on roads, Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahyanto said one soldier and one police officer would be placed on every aid truck, and that soldiers would be sent to secure markets, the airport and fuel depots to maintain order.