Dessy Sagita & Putri Prameshwari

Fishermen haul their boat onto land as the sun sets on a earthquake-damaged fishing village on the outskirts of Padang on Thursday. (Photo: Dylan Martinez, Reuters)

Life Slowly Resumes In Post-Quake Padang; Toll at 739

The death toll from last week’s 7.6-magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of West Sumatra has risen to 739 with 296 others still missing, an official said on Thursday.

“As of 1 p.m. on Thursday, 739 victims have been found. We will try to retrieve more bodies from under the rubble,” said Ade Edward, head of West Sumatra’s Disaster Management Agency.

Ade said 863 people suffered major injuries in the quake, and more than 400 people were still in temporary shelters. He said more than 120,000 homes were heavily damaged in the temblor and total losses were estimated at Rp 2.2 trillion ($233 million).

However, he said that life in the affected areas of West Sumatra, particularly the capital Padang, were slowly returning to normal.

“Some people have started rebuilding houses and offices,” he said. “Market activities are returning to normal and many children have started going back to school. It’s nowhere near perfect, but it’s getting there.”

Ade said his agency’s main concern now was providing shelter and clean water for survivors.

He said Padang was suffering from water shortages, while other districts in the province were able to rely on water from wells.

“Padang is an urban area that relies on the city’s water operator. So, with most of the pipes broken in the quake, there is nothing to do but wait,” he said.

Ade said the water network in Padang was not expected to be up and running until next month.

He also said his agency was scrambling to provide more permanent shelters for displaced people.

“We’re getting torrential rain almost every day, raising the risk of landslides. Makeshift tents aren’t strong enough,” Ade said, adding that each family only received two sheets of plastic to protect them from the rain.

He said permanent shelters would be finished within the next two months.

Ade also denied that officials weren’t moving fast enough to distribute donated assistance.

“Every time we receive a donation, we always check it thoroughly, counting the amount and checking the quality and the expiration dates of products,” he said. “We have to follow procedures, and that takes time.”

Meanwhile, airlines are likely to lower their Jakarta to Padang fares to normal levels in November, a month earlier than previously ordered, said Tri Sunoko, director of air transportation at the Transportation Ministry.

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