Experiance at "Ground Zero":The Tsunami Relief Operation at Kampung Kuala Muda, Kedah
Experiance at "Ground Zero":The Tsunami Relief Operation at Kampung Kuala Muda, Kedah
by Nor Hafizah Selamat
School of Social Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
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I should admit that I have never had any disaster-relief experience in my life before though it has always been my desire to be able to go to "ground zero" and help out those in need, like those I've seen on TV whenever a disaster strikes. Sadly, the most I have ever done was to donate; the usual stuff such as clothes and a small amount of money. My friend once told me that I should not just "think but also I must take action". I believe my 'desire' was eventually materialized on New Year's Day, 2005, a week after the fateful events of 26th December, 2004. That was the day when the whole world was stunned to hear the news of the earthquake that caused a deadly tsunami in Southeast Asia. Several areas on the West Coast of Malaysia were also badly affected including Penang Island and Kuala Muda Kedah on the mainland. I took the immediate 'action' to join the Tsunami Relief Operation organized by the Research and Education for Peace Unit at USM. A committee was set up to be responsible for collecting donations from members of the public, particularly from the USM community. A visit was then planned, to the hardest hit areas such as Tanjung Bungah and Kuala Muda Kedah, to distribute the donations and also to give assistance to local committee members in helping the survivors. On the morning of 1st January, 2005, we began to load our van and car with boxes full of clothes, food and of course, money. There were about 10 volunteers involved including several Peace Unit staff and also the Director of the Peace Unit, Assoc. Prof. Dr Kamarulzaman. Since we were not quite sure where we should distribute the donation, we stopped at the temporary relief center at the Sekolah Menengah Kuala Muda, Kedah. However, as they had already received a lot of donations, we were asked to go to the other temporary relief center at a nearby school. At that center, we began to assist the local committee in sorting out hundreds of plastic bags full of clothes that had been donated by the public.
While doing this task, several survivors that I met began to recount their 'seconds from disaster ordeal's. One woman told me how she was told to run and managed to grab a panicking child and run to higher ground, not knowing the fate of her own children. Others described that they were actually at a wedding feast when they heard a big roar, a sound like a group of 'Harley Davidson' riders coming towards them followed by a crackling sounds. By then it was too late for them to do anything but leave their food and run for their lives. It was a touching moment when one woman at the center took me to meet a tsunami survivor who had just given birth to a beautiful baby daughter, three days after the tsunami struck. Although, there were not enough facilities to keep them warm, the mother and her new-born baby were seen sleeping soundly on the school desks that had been arranged into a makeshift bed. After spending an hour at the center, we then drove to the disaster area to see if there was anything that we could do to help. Although villagers were not yet allowed to return to their village, a small numbers of villagers were allowed to examine the condition of their houses and to search if there was anything valuable left. Walking along what used to be a busy road in the village, I was stunned by the striking images of the enormous destruction left by the giant waves. Almost all houses that were built along the coastal areas were swept away, leaving only the stilts. The foundations were still there but the rest were in ruins. Some of the walls and zinc roofs had been dragged along by the waves and stuck on other houses. There was a house where the large trunk of an uprooted tree was stuck in its wall. The waves had brought along all the mud and other 'substances' and flooded the houses. After the water level receded, a thick layer of mud had covered the lower ground floor of their houses destroying many important documents, furniture and electrical goods. The fishing boats could be seen damaged and lying helpless, probably beyond repair. Having conducted research among fishing communities in Penang before, the sight gave me a painful feeling about how the fishing communities who always live with uncertainty, get more and more victimized in such calamities. While examining the destruction, we saw a man in his 60's, standing in front of his damaged house, perhaps calculating the unimaginable loss that he could not bear. We approached him and offered our help to clean his house. He told me that he was still fortunate that his house was still intact although he lost everything in the house including his coffee shop business, next door to his house. He escaped death by grasping tightly onto the barbed wire fence of his coffee shop while being engulfed by the muddy sea water.
The cleaning process began by removing all the broken furniture and damaged equipments from the house. The hardest part was to remove the ankle deep mud that had began to dry up in the house. In the midst of doing this cleaning, I saw the old man that we helped, squatting in front of a pile of damaged furniture and items that we had removed from inside his house. He seemed to be looking for something. Apparently, he was searching for the most valuable items that he had; his family photo with the Prime Minister. He told me that the Prime Minister was his distant relative and he was hoping that he could save the only memory he had with the PM. Sadly, the photo was never found. He may not be able to retrieve his valuable photos but he seemed to be very grateful that we were there not only to help clean the house but also to give him comfort and moral support.
Being a participant in this operation, it was just so amazing to see how this Peace Unit group and other volunteer groups from different organizations pooled their strength and co-ordinate with each other, full of enthusiasm. Everybody seemed to know their own responsibilities and tried to give where ever they could. While doing the cleaning, a group of volunteers from another organization came to us and distributed mineral water. Everyone was somehow united at heart, giving their all to help and give their every bit to ease the pain of the tsunami's survivors. For me, this experience at the "ground zero" taught me a valuable lesson, that in times of conflict and disaster, what the victims mostly needed was moral and emotional support. Therefore, I thank Peace Unit for taking an initiative to organize this Tsunami Relief Operation and at the same time for allowing me to fulfill my 'desire'. It was indeed a meaningful experience.
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Focus: The Asian Tsunami
-Experience at "Ground Zero": The Tsunami Relief Operation at Kampung Kuala Muda,Kedah
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Mindanao:
-Keeping the Peace: The International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao
-Sulu:State of War,Calls for Peace
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Peace Building in Southeast Asia:Overview, Observation and Way Forward
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Upcoming Activities
-The SEACSN Conflict Management Regional Training Workshop
-The SEACSN Advanced Program in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding