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Garut, West Java. Squatting amid the ruins of his home, Agus Gunawan collects bricks that are still usable and stacks them off to one side.

Like most residents of Cikelet and Pamengpeuk subdistricts in Garut, West Java, the 47-year-old has started going through the wreckage wrought by last week’s deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake that destroyed more than 50,000 houses in the province, trying to salvage the pieces he can use to rebuild his life.

“I don’t know what I should do with this house,” Agus says. “I’m just cleaning up the rubble. I can’t make plans as I don’t have any money.”

Agus’s wife has been working as a maid in Saudi Arabia for more than a year. He suspects that she has not heard about the quake yet and has tried to call her to see if she can send some money to rebuild their home.

“She only sent us money during her first five months there,” he says. “I’m so confused as to what to do.”

With his four children, Agus now sleeps outside the house each night on a straw mat. “There are some walls that still stand but I fear they will collapse if a strong wind blows,” he says.

Meanwhile, husband and wife, Herman and Iting, can only look on as their heavily damaged home is being knocked down completely.

“Look at that, God is really giving us a difficult test this Ramadan,” Iting says through the tears. “Where are we going to sleep now that the house is not there anymore?”

Another neighborhood resident, 58-year-old Atik, lost her newly refurbished house.

“The renovation was completed just a week before the quake. Everything was new, including the roof,” she says. “I’ve spent all my money for that and look how it turned out.”

Two of Atik’s three children who live nearby also lost their homes.

“I don’t know how we can rebuild the houses,” Atik’s eldest, Nung, said. “It’s going to cost a fortune.”

The central government announced on Monday that it would spend up to Rp 1.5 trillion ($150 million) to mitigate the impact of the earthquake in West and Central Java. Latest figures showed that the death toll had climbed to 75, with 34 still missing and feared dead, and that more than 80,000 people in the two provinces had been left homeless.

After meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other ministers in Bogor on Monday, Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said the government would transfer the funds to the district heads, who would coordinate with community groups to rebuild homes.

Immediately after the temblor, government agencies and aid organizations also mobilized to provide shelter, supplies and medical assistance to victims, but in places like Cikelet and Pamengpeuk, these efforts amounted to little by way of helping residents pick up the pieces and move on with their lives.

One Garut victim says they need more than just food and clothing — they need help in rebuilding their houses. “We keep getting instant noodles yet have no idea what to do with the house,” she says. “We want building materials, not noodles.”

Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), says there are stages in managing a disaster, including rebuilding homes. The length of each stage depends on how big the disaster is, he says.

After the evacuation that takes place immediately after a disaster, the displaced people have to be provided with shelter. The shelter stage, Priyadi says, is usually done in two steps.

“We will first concentrate them all together in one place, then we will try to distribute one tent to each family,” he says. “Residents often insist on putting up a tent in front of their house as they are worried about leaving their houses unattended with valuable items still inside.”

Having refugees scattered over a large area leads to distribution problems, as is currently the case, Priyadi says.

“When they are concentrated in one area, logistics are delivered to one place. So it takes more time when these people are spread out,” he says. “This is why they often say to the media that they still haven’t received any assistance.”

Priyadi says the data verification process of houses destroyed in last week’s earthquake is still ongoing. Verification, he says, is required to find out who needs to be assisted and how much it will cost for reconstruction.

“The rehabilitation and reconstruction team has been working on it since day one,” Priyadi says. “It should be completed two weeks after the quake, although it is possible for it to be extended if necessary.”

Priyadi says local officials are ultimately responsible for informing residents about the progress of reconstruction.

“Renovation of homes will start in October and is planned to be completed by early March, so it is understandable if the residents think that there hasn’t been anything done about their houses.”