After a bumpy road, we visited a couple of rural communities in the mountains there. Some were affected more than others. The first village, of about 40 houses with maybe 200 people living there, had maybe half their houses partially or completely destroyed. Temporary make-do shelters had been built in place, cramming up to 17 people into one. Their main concern was how to stay dry with the rains that are frequently falling and stay warm. Luckily their drinking water was still available. Sanitation also remains a big problem, with water that can get contaminated, and livestock that starts to rot inside barns that collapsed.
As I had done some first aid training, I was put in charge of medical aid. Nobody was severely injured though and most of it was disinfecting cuts and bruises. It was greatly appreciated though and seemed to give people a feeling they were being taken care of, providing people with an opportunity to tell their stories and vent. Some of them insisted on showing their houses, the place they were when the quake hit, what happened to their personal belongs, asking we take pictures... Very sad...
Tensions rose a bit at dusk, when the last village started complaining about not receiving enough and argued with the assessments made. It just demonstrates how on the one hand you want to go quick, to help as many people as possible, to avoid having them sleep in the rain, and on the other hand, you want the stuff to go to people who need it the most.
On a personal note, some more people left from the house. There are less and less neighbors using our house to sleep over. Power is being loadshedded, and our inverter doesn't seem to be working properly. Still no internet, only through our phones. I did another interview, with Het Nieuwsblad, trying to highlight both my organisation, WSM, and our partners, GEFONT and NTUC, and how the solidarity is showing here and the most important thing.They didn't publish it however...
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