2005
UN Sasakawa Award
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Interviews
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Mr. Chimeddorj
Batchulluun
from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Government
of Mongolia
1. Could you give me some statistics about the impact of the
Dzud? How does it affect the Mongolian people every year?
Mongolia is a large but sparsely populated country which often
experiences extreme climate conditions. The economy is dominated
by agriculture, especially livestock husbandry. Dzud is the
Mongolian name for severe winter weather storms in which extreme
cold, heavy snow and strong winds prevent cattle and other
animals from feeding over long periods of time. The consequences
of dzud can be very severe, especially when it involves the
loss of livestock that is fundamental to the economy. If a
dzud occurs in combination with another type of disaster, the
damage can be catastrophic. For centuries, dzuds have caused
serious losses to livelihoods with important resulting social
and economic impacts throughout the country. According to historical
records, there were 15 occurrences of dzuds in the 18th century,
31 in the 19th century and 43 in the 20th century.
Climate conditions in the period between 1990-1999 were very
favourable for Mongolia. Livestock grew from 25 million to
33 million animals. This was a
period of considerable success for the herders who comprise almost 50 per cent
of the country’s population and for the economy of the country as a whole.
Dzuds then occurred in Mongolia in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 with their effects
compounded by accompanying droughts in the summer months. The period was also
marked by some human factors in that there was only a limited preparedness
for such potential and accumulated disasters. Thirty-four people lost their
lives due to dzuds and snowstorms and more than 8.4 million livestock perished
from the direct impact of dzud-related disasters. These losses to the country
were estimated at more than US$ 330 million. Many thousand households lost
all their livestock, seriously increasing their levels of poverty.
2.
What did you do to reduce the impact of this natural hazard on herders’ communities?
I grew up in a family of herders and I spent my childhood in livestock pastures.
Later, working for an emergency management organization, I participated in
the following activities to reduce the impact of dzuds on livestock:
- I studied the
impact of booklets distributed by the Central and local government
during the Dzud disaster of 1999-2000 and concluded
that they were very effective
for young local authority leaders and herders.
- During the dzud
period, special attention was given to the broadcasting and dissemination
of best practices and measures to be taken to prepare
for and
help to reduce the effects of the disaster.
- As the manager
of the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia, State Standing
Emergency Commission and Disaster
Mitigation Division,
my primary
responsabilities were to collect and process information in real-life
situations in local areas, such as assessing the damages to submit
it to the Central
government for rapid decisions and implemention. I think I have contributed
to reducing
the impact of dzuds with my hard work.
- One of my main
duties has been to organize training sessions, meetings and discussions
jointly with the Government and agencies,
local authorities
and
NGO’s. These were able to introduce traditional knowledge and herding
methods to young herders to help prevent dzuds. I also provided psychological
assistance to herders in difficult situations.
3. How do you work with the meteorological services?
The meteorological and hydrological services of our country provide
regular weather forecasts and warnings on hazardous phenomena on
a daily, weekly
and monthly basis. In order to improve disaster warning and disaster prevention,
we work closely with the Institute of Meteorology for delivering timely
warnings to herders so they can use it more effectively. We also
organize monthly
and
weekly radio meetings with them about weather forecasts and to transmit
urgent information. We also conduct joint research on hazardous phenomena
and previous
disasters.
4. How did you combine the cultural and traditional knowledge with modern
capacities?
Mongols have a rich experience and knowledge on how to overcome natural
disasters and have indeed a specific way of living and dwelling close to
nature. The
teaching of traditional knowledge about weather forecasting and its effects
on livestock has become an important part of our approach to disaster management.
We organize training sessions, meetings and discussions for the younger
members of the community. We publish articles in newspapers and booklets
on traditional
herding as well as giving lectures too, for the general population.
5. How did you work with the international community to make dzuds known
and better understood ?
The international community and the humanitarian organisations have given
us invaluable assistance and support in disaster response and recovery
when dzuds
occurred in our country. I have
had many meetings with ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of international
organizations where I was able to provide reports to them about the situation
of local herders and their extremely severe living conditions. I am proud
that I have had a chance to meet and work with many specialists and representatives
from international humanitarian organizations.
During the period of dzud, the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the United Nations representative Office to Mongolia issued an appeal for
international
assistance based on surveys and conclusions prepared by our working team.
More than 15 countries and 20 international humanitarian organizations
provided cash and and extended their assistance. This enabled us to implement
many
projects
and programmes to help in decreasing poverty. I am very proud of my contribution
to disaster management.
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Jaime Parejo
The “Arcón” Methodology
Version
en español 1)
How did Jaime Parejo get involved in the field of disaster
reduction?
Since his childhood, Jaime Parejo’s favorite pastime
has been the study and observation of animal behavior, especially
that of certain birds and insects. In 1982, this interest
led him to focus his activities on canine breeds. Later,
especially because of his previous experience as a volunteer
at the Red Cross and the Fire Department e in Cadiz (Spain),
he discovered his second vocation: work on search-and-rescue
activities. For many years, these two factors where the motive
forces of his intense dedication to creating a new system
that optimized the performance of dogs during search operations
for buried survivors.
In 1994,
he achieved his goal and named his own method in honor
of his pioneer trainee and canine companion, “Arcón”.
Through his persistent efforts, which involved observation,
study, analysis, field experimentation and research, he was
able to develop a set of novel techniques. These interrelated
techniques optimized the levels of independence, motivation
and concentration of canines and, therefore, their efficiency
during search operations for people buried alive. This method
was effective both outside and in confined places, in environments
with zero visibility or spaces so constraining that it was
difficult to move.
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2) What are the results of this method?
Since 1999, after numerous operations in countries affected
by earthquakes such as Colombia, Turkey, Taiwan and India,
canine rescue teams from different fire departments in Andalusia,
Spain, were the first ones to prove the substantial effectiveness
of this system. The following are examples of these operations:
- Sakarya, Turkey: August 18-21, 1999. Rescue Canine
Unit of CPCIS, Huelva (Spain)
According to eye-witness sources from rubble clearance
teams, among the survivors was a man who was found and
rescued from
being trapped under four stories of concrete rubble by
dogs trained with the Arcón Method. These dogs located him
during a search conducted on top of the ruble. Turkish army
soldiers who were present later communicated what had happened
during the operation.
- Pu-li, Taiwan: September 3, 1999. Canine Rescue Units of CPCIS,
Huelva and Ayto de Huelva
One man was found alive in the Pu-li market. Canine teams of
the aforementioned units succeeded to locate him in a collapsed
building where the possibility of finding survivals was considered
impossible. These canine teams had searched in the same area
on previous occasions. Taiwanese teams were then called in
to clear the rubble. The Major of Pu-li himself officially
communicated the news to the Head of Logistics of these units
and to the EFE News Agency. It was reported that canine units
trained with the Arcón Method had signaled the location
of a marketplace merchant, which resulted in this man’s
rescue. The international media also disseminated the news
worldwide.
- Düzce, Turkey: November 14-18, 1999. Canine Rescue
Units of CPCIS, Huelva and AEPRI
Searches were carried out both outside and in confined spaces.
During search operations in these confined spaces, canine teams
of CPCIS, Huelva were able to find the location of survivors.
Rubble clearance teams of the Turkish Civil Defense were then
able to proceed to free them. The following day, the Turkish
press communicated that a woman had been found where these
canine teams had signaled her presence. Fortunately, she was
alive and was brought to the hospital.
- Bhujarad, India, 2001. Canine Rescue Units of Fire Departments
from town councils of Malaga, Cordoba and Huelva
Seven days after an earthquake, the dogs of the abovementioned
units located a young male buried survivor. This rescue happened
after the possibility of finding other survivors had been given
up, and canine teams from other places had already withdrawn
from the area. His rescue was carried out “live” before
television cameras that were covering the area affected by
the earthquake. The event was covered by news programs in Spain
and other countries.
3)
How many lives do you think have been saved with your method?
With respect to the number of lives saved, just as in the
cases already mentioned, we have learned after the fact
of stories
that recount amazing situations. These have involved the rescue
of people after days of being trapped or those who were found
in areas where all hope of finding someone alive had been given
up. But certainly, the number of people saved increases as
we locate them and immediately notify the rubble clearance
teams so that they can begin their excavation work. We then
continue with the arduous task of finding people buried alive
where time can be against them as they face the imminent and
critical threat of death. It is clear that if areas coping
with high seismic or man-made risk factors that may lead to
catastrophic or calamitous situations had “Arconian” canine
teams, they could immediately begin search operations. The
number of lives rescued would be significantly higher since
they could be found sooner and before they succumbed to hemorrhaging,
dehydration or other traumas. In addition, they would not have
to wait until foreign teams arrived or for units to come from
areas far from those hotspots where potential interventions
may be needed.
4) From what you have observed, how can the impact of disasters
be reduced in building construction?
From what we have been able to verify and confirm in terms
of those buildings affected by a large number of earthquakes,
regardless of the anti-seismic structural calculations (which
must be carried out especially in high-risk places), what is
important is the adequate and orderly distribution of support
columns and beams en each story of a building. As a result,
buildings would be as homogenous as possible, which will enable
them to better resist the oscillations caused by a seismic
event.
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The following are a number of events related
to the Arcón
Methodology, which illustrate the avenues that have been
followed, as commented during the interview:
1994: Jaime Parejo believes that his system has been perfected
as a novel and efficient method for training and conducting
searches after disasters with canine rescue teams. He named
this method after his pioneer trainee and canine companion.
This is a method created as a result of 12 years of intensive
work under rigorous research and scientific preparation that
started in 1982.
May 1998: After obtaining the compulsory legal qualification,
the Arcón Method is registered and legally protected
at the General Registry Office for Intellectual Property,
in Spain.
November 1998: In Madrid, Jaime Parejo officially receives
the First Award to Research granted by the Royal Canine Society
of Spain. During the awards ceremony, a number of political
figures and filmmakers from Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Germany,
Russia, England, the United States, Portugal and Spain, including
Her Royal Highness Infanta Alicia de Borbón were present.
After assessing its novel nature and valuable scientific
contribution, a prestigious panel of judges agreed unanimously
to grant this award to Jaime Parejo for his work entitled “Arcón,
a new method for training dogs for catastrophe rescue”.
December 1998: Jaime Parejo publishes a book in Spain which,
among other aspects, presents a descriptive synthesis of
this innovative method entitled “Arcón”,
intended for canine rescue after the occurrence of a disaster.
1999: Real-life cases confirm the Arcón System as
being highly effective in earthquakes such as those that
occurred in Turkey in August and November of that year. Rescue
efforts were officially recognized by various authorities
and experts, including Mr. José María Castroviejo,
who was the General Consul of Spain in Turkey at the time,
and is now the Ambassador of Spain in Tanzania.
September 2003: The Arcón Method and its corresponding
training program are officially recognized by the IberoMAB
network, UNESCO.
2004: The Arcón Method is now recognized at the international
level as a result of its proven level of scientific soundness
and remarkable effectiveness in finding and rescuing survivors
buried in slides caused by disasters. This is the only system
approved by governments from different countries as the official
training method for canine disaster rescue teams:
·
Ecuador, by Ministerial Agreement Nº 009, dated January
27, 2004;
·
El Salvador, by Ministerial Agreement Nº 103, dated
June 2, 2004;
·
Honduras, by Agreement Nº 683-2004 of the Secretary
of State, the Interior and Justice of the Republic of Honduras,
dated July 23, 2004; and,
·
Paraguay, by Presidential Resolution Nº05/2005, dated
March 14, 2005.
January 2005: In the autonomous city of Melilla, Spain, the
Arcón Method and its corresponding training program
are declared of Public Humanitarian Usefulness by UNESCO. |
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5) What can be done to improve the current
situation?
Currently, the main problem regarding the rescue of survivors buried
by slides caused by disasters is that, with the exception of the
Arcón Method, training and intervention systems for canine
rescue teams are insufficiently effective. The efficiency of this
method has been shown to numerous United Nations officials and
it can be demonstrated again whenever and wherever appropriate,
through relevant practice and drill activities. In order to substantially
improve this lack of effectiveness, we propose that the Arcón
Method become the official United Nations training and disasters
intervention system for canine rescue teams, just as it is happening
within a growing number of governments from different countries
prone to catastrophic seismic events such as El Salvador, Honduras,
Ecuador and Paraguay.
6) What are the obstacles to achieve this?
In terms of obstacles, to date, I do not think that we have identified
any. This would only require a noticeable progress in terms of
reducing the number of deaths caused by disasters. The United Nations
could verify and confirm through its appropriate officials the
incomparable effectiveness of the Arcón Method and the International
Specialization Program that draws on it, making them a priority
among emergency services in countries with the highest levels of
disaster risks, which may include the collapse of buildings due
to earthquakes and hurricanes, etc.
7) How could this issue be included in the current political agendas?
To incorporate the important progress to which we referred previously
into political agendas, it would be necessary, even essential,
to have the support of the United Nations to make the Arcón
Method and the corresponding International Specialization Program
official. I would propose carrying out a drill activity with an “Arconian” team
during the next awards and distinctions ceremony to be held in
Bangkok. It would also be important to be able to carry out an
audiovisual presentation of this methodology, in order to show
our interventions, drills and comments from different authorities
that endorse this methodology, as well as examples of Arcón’s
behavioral techniques and the different phases of its training
process.
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Claude
de Ville de Goyet
A Pioneer Of “ Safe Hospitals” |
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have been working for years to make health facilities more resilient
to disasters. What are you main achievements? How and why did
you get
involved?
I was asked in the
early seventies by Prof Lechat, a Public Health
Epidemiologist from the University of Louvain in Belgium to
launch and manage the International Research
Center on Disaster Epidemiology in Belgium.
His original approach was to consider disaster as a health
issue (a disease) that needed to be studied,
prevented and acknowledged at the community and country level, rather than as a problem of first aid and
relief operations that was addressed by aid workers who would
leave a few days later.
After 10 years of
preparedness work in Latin America, the 1985 earthquake in Mexico
taught us that there is no point in preparing medical staff
for recovery operations if hospitals are not properly protected
and equipped. Thus, weshifted from preparedness of response to
risk mitigation.
Do you have any statistics
showing that hospitals are now safer in the
world?
It is impossible to
know the number of hospitals that are currently at risk but
some hospitals were saved in recent disasters thanks
to measures taken to strengthenthem. Retrofitting existing hospitals
is expensive and often not affordable by the developing countries. However, including resistance measures
against earthquakes, winds or floods in the design of new installations
is cost effective and cheaper. Countries and donors are now gradually
adopting such measures; they will pay off over the decades ahead.
What remains to be done to improve the current situation?
We still need to investigate
every major disaster and assess the damage to hospitals. We
need to publish and learn from the
lessons learned in recent disasters. Politicians and finance
ministers are often reluctant to allocate funds for long-term
prevention and risk reduction. Documenting all serious disasters
ensures that politicians in affected countries and their regional neighbours will not burry
the issue and forces them to include mitigation measures in the
reconstruction process. Public awareness is the most effective
and democratic leverage to make risk reduction a reality.
What are the main obstacles to this improvement?
The main obstacle is that we cannot predict when the next disaster
will hit and if all prevention measures have been taken. We need
of course to start somewhere and often disaster strikes elsewhere.
Risk reduction requires a lot of public education and support.
How much does it cost to make a hospital safer?
For
an existing hospital, it may cost up to 15% of its cost to make
it safer - unfortunately, complete safety does not exist. But
when it is included in the first discussion about a new facility
(for instance when the site is selected) it might be as low as
1% or 2 % of the construction cost. Insurance is often more expensive!
Preventing damage from wind (typhoons) is less costly than minimizing
damage from a strong earthquake.
How did you work with the international community to make this
problemknown?
Lobbying, cooperating, co-publishing with other partners are
ways to make the entire international community aware of the
issue. The more we can document damage to hospitals, the more
effective we will be in promoting the issue. Presenting positive
success stories are very useful. Unfortunately, societies learn
mostly through tragic errors and disasters.
What do you have to say to put this problem on the political
agenda?
Making new hospitals safer is feasible and it is cost effective.
It is politically costly not to do it.
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Thirty
years ago, no health sector in the countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean had a prevention programme. Thirty years
later, every single country of this part of the world has
disaster units to respond to disasters and to deal with the
health consequences of hazards. Thousands of people have
contributed to reducing the vulnerability of the citizens
of this hemisphere to disasters, and countries have been
equal partners. Claude De Ville has contributed a great deal
to achieve this enormous progress.
Claude de Ville de Goyet ’s vision and steadfast guidance over the last
30 years is recognized as a key contributing factor to the substantial progress
that has been made in making all the health facilities more resilient to disasters
in Latin America and the Caribbean.
30 years ago, disaster response was in the hands of a limited few in each country,
today the health sector is a key player at the national level and all the countries
in the Americas have disaster units in the Ministry of Health to carry forth
national disaster reduction activities.
One of the earliest promoters of the “Safe hospitals” initiative
which called on disaster-prone countries to make health facilities safe by
reducing their vulnerability, Claude de Ville de Goyet championed work in this
area not only in Latin America and the Caribbean but also in Asia and North
Africa and he made specific contributions to the adoption of earthquake-resilient
designs of hospitals in many countries.
His contributions had a significant impact on advancing the agenda of disaster
mitigation globally. This was evidenced in 2004, when Latin American and Caribbean
nations joined forces at Paho’s 45 Directing council meeting to urge
Member states to adopt “ Hospitals Safe from Disasters” as a national
risk reduction policy and set the goal that all new hospitals are built with
a level of protection that better guarantees their remaining functional in
disaster situations. This call was echoed in January 2005 at the World Conference
on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, where “ Safe hospitals” was
mentioned as one of the sectoral indicators of global disaster vulnerability
reduction.
Claude de Ville de Goyet has raised the profile of disaster reduction and convinced
decision makers of the importance of disaster preparedness and risk reduction
in the health sector. His strategy has always been to minimize the number of
victims and materials losses before an intense event occurs and to improve
the safety of hospitals.
If you
want to know more about his work, you can consult:
Safe hospitals: A collective responsibility, A global measure of Disaster Reduction
http://www.paho.org/english/dd/ped/SafeHospitals.htm
Protecting
critical health facilities, particularly hospitals, from
the avoidable consequences of disasters, is not only essential
to meeting the Millennium Development Goals set by the United
Nations, but also a social and political necessity in its
own right. This is the message that Safe Hospitals—A
Collective Responsibility, A Global Measure of Disaster Reduction,
prepared by PAHO/WHO for the UN World Conference on Disaster
Reduction, puts forth.
According to the publication, the vulnerability of a hospital is more than
a medical issue. Other factors must be taken into account: public health, socio-political
significance, and the economic aspects. It is possible to reduce the vulnerability
of a hospital by raising the levels of life, investment and operational protection
not only in existing facilities, but in the plans for new installations as
well. It has been proved time and again that disaster mitigation measures pay
off when health facilities are able to withstand the effects of devastating
disasters and continue to offer their services. Although the financial investment
can be high (and it is not always possible to protect an installation against
all kinds of disasters), the cost of ignoring the risks can be much higher,
not only in terms of money, but more importantly on the loss of human life.
The importance of hospitals goes far beyond the role they play in saving lives
after disasters. They are powerful symbols of social progress and a prerequisite
for economic development, and as such, special attention must be given to reducing
their physical vulnerability. |
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Tsunami
and the People of Simeulue
General Information of Simeulue Regency
The
Regency of Simeulue with the capital Sinahang is located in the
North East of the Province of Nanggroe Acch
Darussaiam, about
105 miles located above the sea of Meulaboh, 85 miles above
the sea of Tapak Tuan in the Regency of West Aceh. The Regency
of
Simeulue embraces 41 islands and is located on the scale of 95
43 – 96
26 East Longitude and 2 19 – 2 26 North Latitude. The
length of the island is about 100,2 km with the width of 8-28
km that
makes the overall size approaching 198,021 Ha.
Population
There are 82.555 people living in the Regency of Simeulue as per
the condition of June 2005. They are scattered in 8 regions which
consist of 16 bano/mukim and 13 villages, in which 77 are considered
poor with a total population of 46,604 people, out of which 39.000
people live near the beaches and small islands. About 30% of the
people live in the Region of East Simeulue where in situated the
local administration office of Simeulue. The population growth
is of 3% per year. Only some 23 people live along a distant of
one kilometre.
Economic
and Social Activities of People
People in general work in the agricultural sector (62,8%), with
few others in trading, art and handicraft, civil service, labour,
etc. Therefore, the biggest contribution of the gross domestic
regional product is the agricultural sector (67,01%). One of its
sub-sector which is animal farming comes the second (23,39%), with
other sub sectors such as forestry, plantation, estates and fishery,
each contributing as much as 21,48%, 12,02%, 7,26% and 2,85% respectively
(BPS 2003).
The agriculture that is developed by the people here is of multi-culture
in nature with the production of various kinds of commodities such
as local paddy, vegetables, cengkeh, coconut, coffee and cacao.
There are huge areas of potential agricultural growth with 18,700
hectares of paddy field and plot for dry paddy field 3580 hectares.
The cengkeh product (2003) was up to 2,846 ton cultivated on the
land covering 16,868 hectares. There is 4,200 ton of coconut product.
Fish called as dimersal and pelagic are found aplenty. Simeulue
305,000 hectares (4 miles) fishing ground. Apart from that, the
Western and Northern beaches of Simeulue are where the tuna fish
frequently cross and stay.
Animal breeding does also have a quite good prospect here. The
community here have long deal with the breeding of cow, bullock,
goat, buras hen and itik.
Based on the latest data, forestry area of Simeulue covers up
to 100,436 hectares or 53,63% from the total area. Trade, industry
and service too have good prospect. Small industry such as bamboo
handicraft, wood and silver related work are also in the up.
The tourism of Simeulue is of two types, ecotourism and culture
tourism. The Western and Southern beaches have big and beautiful
waves which are suitable for surfing.
Up to November 2001, transportation means in the form of ring
road covers up to 458 km. There is also a circling bridge along
3,456 m with permanent building of 1,168 m and the rest of it as
non permanent building. There is one airport called Lasilan that
could be landed by small aircrafts as Cessna and Cassa.
The island has not been entirely equipped with telephones lines.
The region that has telephone lines here is only East Simeulue
with a total 703 lines.
The development process since the year 2001 up
to now showed a gradual increase in its indicator of economic
growth and the level
of the welfare of the community. During the period of 200-2003
the agriculture sector increased from 1,98% to 2,50%, shaping up
industry from –1,58% to 4,99%, electricity and drinking water
from 1,32% increased to 5,98%, trade from 2,60% to 6,10% and service
from 0,97% to 2,70%. Overall in that said period gross domestic
regional product of the Regency of Simeulue increased from 2,27%
to 3,53%. There are several indicators that can be seen as having
contributed to better situation to the welfare of community. During
2001-2003, death rate decreased from 58 to 39 per 1000 births.
Children of 7-12 years of age that go to school increased from
64,41% to 98,90% and the people of the age 10 and above that are
illiterate reduced from 13,21% to 4,72%. Meanwhile joblessness
increased from 6,46% to 8,12%. The population that work in the
agriculture sector decreased from 76,57% to 69,55%. Something that
gladden many here is that the people who work in trade sector increased
from 6,25% to 16,44% during the above mentioned period.
Earthquake and Tsunami (Smong) of 26 December 2005-09-23
The
History of Earthquake/Tsunami of Simeulue island
The ethnic group of Simeulue is of a distinct nature and unique
compared to other ethnic groups in Aceh. There is almost no clue
of fact that can best explain the origin of that uniqueness. In
general, Simeulue people have small eyes and yellow colour skin
which made the different from those Acchnese people in the mainland.
There are several local languages whih are used, such as Aneuk
Jamee, Devayan, Sigulai and Leukon. The one mention the last has
now become minority in the Region of Alafan and is on the brink
of vanish. Though the situation was such, the involvement with
mainland Aceh is very good and that is reflected from the Islamic
culture found among the people of Simeulue.
The variety of the said cultural and ethnic situations in considered
as the national asset and very distinct for the Regency of Simeulue.
In principle, some of the population of Simeulue came from other
islands such as Sumatera, Jawa, Sulawesi and Nias. Therefore, the
ethnic group that dwells in Simeulue should be seen from their
background of origin. At present, some ethnic groups that exist
in Simeulue are Pamuneak, Rainang, Lanteng, Abon, Fangaon, etc.
In the Regency of Simeulue, a group of several
ethnic groups living together is called ‘Bano’ and in the midst of 18th
century, or during the Dutch colonial era, there were five ‘Bano’,
such as Tapah, Simulaj, Alang, Sigulai and Leukon. Some changes
took place with the system of ‘Bano’ as Dutch made
it to comply with their own government system and also the Japanese
later. The people of Simeulue have strong social values. There
is also the practice of animish among the people. However, it is
slowly diminishing. Tradition practices could be seen during the
religious rituals, deaths, marriages and the new born baby ceremonies.
During the XVI century Simeulue which was known
as Island U was the region reigned by Sultan Iskandar Muda. During
the sultanate
of Iskandar Muda and in the framework of developing the region
to enlarge Islamic teachings, the Sultan sent a priest (ulemma)
of Minang tribe that who was on to hajj pilgrimage to Makkab. The ‘ulemma’ then
postponed going to Makkah and followd the Sultan’s command
and went to Simeulue to develop Islamic teachings. The ‘ulemma’s’ name
is Tengku Kiujung alias Tengku Haliullah. He later married to the
prince of U Island named the Prince of Meulur. It happened that
the island of U was then given a new name as ‘Simalur’.
The Philosophical value of Earthquake and Lightning
Mr.
KTH Van Langen as the Assistant to the Deputy of the Representative
of East Indishe Dutch Government in his
research conducted on 25
March 1881 did not report that the big sea waves took place due
to the eruption of mountain Krakatau in the year 1833. Meanwhile,
in the encyclopedia of the Duth edited by DG Stibbe that was published
in 1909 mentioned that there always took place light earthquake
in Simeulue and in the year 1907 the whole area of the western
beach was swept away by the sea waves and this has resulted in
huge casualties. At that time many villages had really disappeared
due to big waves. People in Simeulue called this happening as “SMONG”. ‘Smong’ made
the land infertile then and the population there had never been
successful in overcoming this disaster and the welfare that was
aspired had never been achieved.
On Friday in the year 1907 with not date or month was on record,
it was mentioned that a big earthquake jolted this island and several
days after that the sea water was distracting at fast pace and
made the rivers dry and fish dying. Being Friday many people got
together for prayers and that congregation at a place had made
the human toll higher, moreover when the people went to rivers
and beaches to collect the dying fish.
However, when they were busy collecting the fish is happy mood,
they heard from afar a sound something like the dry wood being
burnt which was slowly heard in higher tone and with that appeared
a feeling of disturbance among these people. Nobody knew exactly
what sound was that, but alas big waves came approaching them,
sweeping them away and drowning and distracting them to the sea.
After that, there were so many human casualties .Some people were
hooked by the bamboo trees, children separated from their parents
and some were found under the mud and many others missing.
‘There is no instrument or material that can save a person
from the disastrous ‘smong’, says a message of the
elders. Mr. Sutan Ruswin, the oldest respected person in the community
of Sinabang City conveyed a story he learnt from his parents that
during the ‘smong’ in 1907 there were a lot of people
of Simeulue that couldn’t save themselves, except those who
had earlier listened the story from their forefathers. Mr. Sutan
gave warning ‘if there is big earthquake and the sea water
distracting, do not wait or bring your belongings, the important
thing just save your own self first’. It denotes that people
should always be careful. It seemed that since olden days there
were no media that is used in the efforts of saving people from
the killer wave ‘smong’ except the message and the
story that is told by generations.
The tragedy of 1907 was then told repeatedly by
the elders to their children, by generations. That is known as
the story of ‘smong’ in
the island of Simeulue that had carried with it the sadness and
very sad feeling for those who lost their children, their parents
and relatives. The elders reminds the youngsters that that whenever
big earthquake take place, it may then be followed by water distracting
to the sea which is an indication that ‘smong’ will
come.
‘Smong’ of the year 1833 and 1907 has
a time span of 74 years, meanwhile smong during the year 1907
with the one
happened in 2004 has got a longer time span which was 97 years.
With the time span of above 70 years, it is considered that there
is enough time to retell the message from one generation to the
next one on the experience of earthquake and smong.
Those two happenings have made people there in
sorrow and at the same time have given a good lesson and philosophical
values that
is very useful for them. The earthquake which is known locally
as LINON is not something new for the people of Simeulue in that
the outcome of an earthquake has made people stronger and also
in the mental development of a child. There was then a special
message made that reads ‘kedang kedang mo clacktuwak-uwak
mo lion’ which means that a boy should not be afraid of whatever
comes in his life and he should have stronger motivation, achieving
the maximum and be brave with strong mentality.
As was apparent, the ‘swong’ that took place on 26
December 2004 during a bright Sunday morning swept away many villages
in Labuhah Bakti in South Teupab, some villages in West Teupah,
and almost all villages in Alafan I Simeule. But to many peoples’ surprise,
there were almost no casualties. There were no people who ran to
the sea or rivers to collect fish as was the situation in 1907.
There were only seven people in Simeulue who died due to the Tsunami
of 2004. All people ran to the hill, mountain or other highly located
places. The people there quickly recalled the story and advice
of the elders that was passed to them through generations. Therefore,
the story has became a legend and regarded as a savior for them
from the latest disastroud ‘smong’ (and of course with
the blessing of the Almighty God).
It is a fact that the earthquakes and smong (tsunami) last December
caused panic to the society, some of them ran for escape to mountains
or higher grounds. Some of them even ignored those who ere running
for escape to higher grounds and questioned why they were running.
Theq question was based on their unawareness and was from people
who were not Simeulue natives or immigrants from Acch and Sumatra
mainland, mostly they were concentrated in Sinabang, the Capital
of Simeulue Regency. But silently they also followed the escapees
without really knowing what was really happening.
12 hours after tsunami at 12.00 local hour, through the radio
communication between Indonesian Army and Police, it was discovered
that tsunami had caused 300 casualties and even many more. The
world was shocked, Aceh was crying. This condition had proven that
Simeulue natives who were running to mountains or higher grounds
had an extraordinary instinct.
Desa Latak Ayah, Center Simeulue Regency, had a different story.
After the earthquake, a herd of buffalo ran to higher grounds,
a member of the society said it might be an indication of a disaster.
They also ran to higher grounds although they were not sure what
was going to occur. Not long after that, the smong came and destroyed
their houses and properties. Finally, they were aware that God
had given clued through animals. Although buffalos are just animals,
but God could use hem to His plan, and men could learn from that
situation.
The stories of the smong were quoted from the late
Mohd. Roesli’s
tutur timular (story telling) writing to his son. Mohd. Roesli
lost his elder brother and he almost lost his baby cousin, that
was saved by a bunch of bamboos, later was named M. Yatim. The
writing was also gone with the smong that occurred on 26th December
2004 in desa Blang Oi, Mieuraxa Banda Aceh. St. Ruswin’s
tutur timular was added with writings from Persatuan Iimu Bumi
(geography association) magazine, 1981, 5th edition, in Amsterdam
under Dr. C.M. Kan and N.W. Psthumus.
Rescue Efforts
Smong that occurred in Simeulue regency, as also happened in other
areas of Aceh, moved a little slower. This was because there were
still many mangrove trees preserved that slowed down the smong.
Based on this fact, the local Government of Simeulue protects Mangrove
trees by issuing a Qunun (policy) Nr. 30/2003 on Protection and
Preservation of Coast Water and Islands in Simeulue Regency. It
prohibits the society to cut Mangrove trees. On the contrary, to
urge the society to preserve and protect Mangrove trees as natural
bastion to anticipate smong.
Some of the efforts in anticipating smong are making escape pathway
to hills and higher grounds and making logistic houses on hills.
Casualties
and Damages
Tsunami on 26th December 2004 and earthquakes on 28th March 2005
had caused casualties and loss of properties. The condition of
Simeulue, post earthquakes, can be described as follow:
A. Casualties,
Internally Displaced Persons, and Houses
| Nr. |
Remarks |
Amount |
Loss Prediction
(in Rp.) |
| 1. |
Casualties-
earthquakes/tsunami 26th December 2004- earthquakes 28th
December 2004 |
7 people |
37 people |
| 2. |
Internally
displaced persons |
40,378
people |
|
| 3. |
Badly
destroyed houses |
7,081
units |
223,051,500,000 |
| 4. |
Lightly
destroyed houses |
7,458
units |
74,580,000,000 |
| |
Total |
|
297,631,500,000 |
B. health Infrastructure
| Nr. |
Remarks |
Amount |
Loss
Prediction (in Rp.) |
| 1. |
Badly
destroyed public hospitals |
|
12,482,188,532 |
|
|
|
