Rebuilding Lost Home

“I am incredibly grateful. Thank you, Indonesian Red Cross, for providing a home for me and my children. It means the world to us,” said Novasira, tears streaming down her face.

Novasira, a devoted housewife and farmer, lived a peaceful life in Balik Terus Village, Sangkapura District, Gresik Regency with her husband and their twin children. Their lives were turned upside down on what seemed like an ordinary Friday morning when a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake reduced their home to rubble.

“I was with my twins at a neighbor’s house, casually chatting, when the quake struck. It destroyed our homes in an instant,” Novasira recounted.

With her home gone, Novasira struggled with the harsh reality of not having a place to call home. The relentless anxiety of not being able to provide a safe and comforting environment for her children weighed heavily on her heart.

Simultaneously, Nur Rahman, a fisherman from Teluk Jati Dawang Village, Tambak District, Gresik Regency, was sharing a coffee with his friends by the shore when the earthquake struck.

“The first quake hit on Friday at 11:30 am, followed by another at 1:00 pm, and the most devastating one at 4:15 pm. Ninety percent of the houses were damaged, with some completely flattened,” Nur Rahman detailed.

As the sea surged, the panicked community fled to the mountains, where they slept on bare ground without mats, exposed to the elements. Nur Rahman was heartbroken, fearing the loss of his primary source of income. Traumatized, he couldn’t bring himself to return to his house for three days until the village chief assured them it was safe.

“Three days after the announcement from the village chief, we dared to descend from the mountains. That was when the Indonesian Red Cross arrived with proper temporary shelters,” Nur Rahman added.

On March 22, 2024, a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Bawean Island in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia, following an earlier 6.0 tremor. The disaster affected 8,406 households, displacing 33,538 people and severely damaging 716 houses, moderately damaging 1,551, and lightly damaging 2,304.

In response, the Indonesian Red Cross swiftly conducted thorough assessments, deployed volunteers, evacuated victims, distributed essential kits, and built temporary shelters for the displaced.

Despite their devastation, hope was rekindled as the Indonesian Red Cross stepped in to help rebuild their lives. Volunteers and community members came together to reconstruct what was lost. Now, Novasira can reunite with her family in a safe, proper home. Nur Rahman, too, can return from the mountains, find solace in the temporary shelter provided by the Indonesian Red Cross, and potentially resume his work by the shore.

The Indonesian Red Cross’s support exemplifies the power of unity and compassion in rebuilding homes and reuniting families in the wake of disasters.