They survived a devastating earthquake. Now the real challenges begin. – the diplomat

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When a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook the village of Jasol in West Java, Indonesia, on November 21, local resident Ruslan was optimistic. His house, which he had just finished building six months earlier, was still standing.

But his optimism did not last long.

The next night, an aftershock hits Gasol and Ruslan’s house collapses. To his left, his cousin Weda’s house collapsed the day before. To the right, his other cousin Diodo’s house was similarly flattened. In front of him, his uncle Suhandi’s house was also ruined.

Ruslan’s extended family and neighbors were left with nothing.

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“At least we’re all still alive,” he told The Diplomat. “But I don’t know how we’re going to rebuild and move forward from here.”

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The initial earthquake, while not as large as previous earthquakes in Indonesia, was large enough to release significant seismic energy. This was in part because it was a relatively shallow earthquake. Unlike deep seismic events, shallow earthquakes are unable to dissipate their energy within the Earth’s crust, and therefore “they are felt more intensely,” said Dr Eddie Dempsey, associate professor of geology at the University of Hull in the UK. He added that Raslan’s misfortune of losing his home after the first earthquake was not uncommon.

“While the initial earthquake has passed, aftershocks are likely to continue in the area for some time,” Dempsey said. “The damage to buildings and infrastructure during earthquake events is cumulative, and each smaller event after the main earthquake can contribute to further compromising the structural integrity of buildings and infrastructure and late collapses and failures can occur. The topography of the area and the intrinsic geology of the slopes have already contributed to extensive landslides scale, and this increased landslide risk will continue for some time.”

Following the earthquake and the subsequent landslides it caused, at least 335 people died and more than 56,000 homes were damaged, according to government data.

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The government has since announced that it will reimburse residents up to IDR 60 million (US$3,829) for seriously damaged homes, up to IDR 30 million (US$1,914) for moderately damaged homes, and up to IDR 15 million Indonesian rupiah (957 USD). The homes sustained minor damage, though Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Mohajer Effendi said this week that the government is looking to increase those numbers after ministerial approval.

The government has also pledged to provide other cash payments to residents for things like funeral services, medical care and payment for basic necessities while they wait to be rehoused or to rebuild their homes.

However, Raslan and his extended family worry that any amount of money intended for post-disaster recovery may not reach them in full. “The government has announced that we will be getting a lump sum, which is good, but we are worried we won’t be able to see all of that,” Weda told The Diplomat. “We are concerned that it will come with a lot of cuts.”

Weda added that there are fears among locals in Jasol that government funds could be misappropriated before they are delivered to earthquake victims, something that has happened in similar cases in the past in other parts of Indonesia.

Ruslan stands in front of what remains of his home in Jasol, West Java, after the earthquake on November 21, 2022.

According to a 2019 report by Indonesia Corruption Watch, the country’s frequent natural disasters provide ample opportunities for corrupt officials to steal funds intended for relief. In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Lombok in 2018, members of the Provincial People’s Congress were arrested and accused of embezzling funds to rehabilitate schools. The Corruption Eradication Commission also investigated a bribery case linked to the construction of a drinking water supply system project in Lombok, while police in Banten, Java investigated an extortion case involving the return of bodies of victims from a local hospital following a deadly tsunami, also in 2018.

“In the context of rehabilitation, especially post-disaster development, there is a need for intense coordination between the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing and all parties related to natural disaster management such as local governments and the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB),” Fadli said. Usman, Response Team Leader at Save the Children Indonesia.

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“The challenges we face are very big, for example when there is an allocation for housing construction from the government, but there is no standard mechanism for implementation.”

Rebuilding homes and infrastructure such as schools after a disaster can take anything from one to three years, Osman added, something other experts said is often exacerbated by the local terrain and logistical challenges of working in areas like the village of Jasol, which are just. It can be accessed via a one lane road.

“Rebuilding after events of this nature is complex,” said Dempsey, of the University of Hull.

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The first priority will be to re-establish the main transportation and communications networks. Administrative centers are the focus of this initial work as they are essential to organizing and facilitating the reconstruction and revitalization of the region. As a result, remote and rural areas are often the last to reconnect.”

Muhammad Ilyas, a resident of the village of Jasol in West Java, Indonesia, which was hit by a powerful earthquake November 21, 2022 (Aisyah Llewellyn)

Weda, who now lives with the rest of her family in a temporary shelter, told The Diplomat that while local aid groups, charities and government departments have been very generous with donations, her family didn’t know how long that would last and when. They will be left to fend for themselves if reconstruction takes months or years to complete.

“We have enough to eat until the end of the week,” she said. “But what about the week after that? What about the week after that?”

Standing next to her in Jasol was her brother-in-law, Muhammad Ilyas, who said his house in the main city of Cianjur survived the quake, but he drove about 40 minutes to Jasol village every day to save for his extended home. A family with emotional and logistical support.

And raising his hands to the sky, he said he hoped God would take care of the family and secure their daily needs so that they could pick up what was left of the devastating natural disaster.

“The general population will now be in general shock, with many people grieving the loss of life and property, and many worried about more earthquakes, landslides and building collapses,” Dempsey said.

“Long after they leave the news cameras, these people will still be dealing with this event and seeking to rebuild their lives.”

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