Post-Reconstruction Problems

A Rejuvenated Banda Aceh
Devastated by the tsunami, Lambung and Ulee Lheue have now recovered. The government is creating parks in Banda Aceh and managing rivers.

TEN years after the tsunami wiped out his relatives, Hardiyansah is now able to tell his losses without breaking down. Occasionally his eyes filled with tears, as shared his experience with Tempo last month. The Lambung resident in Banda Aceh admitted to relying on spiritual support. "Religion taught me to be patient."

Hardiyansah and his four siblingsTursina, Amelia, Fauziah and Arjunainilived with their 80-year-old grandmother, Tsawiyah. There were nine people in the house, including Hardiyansah's aunts, grandmother and a nephew. On that fateful Sunday morning of December 26, 2004, Hardiyansah was at Blang Oi market, about a kilometer from his home. Suddenly gigantic waves rolled in. Fortunately, he found a palm tree to cling to. He remembered swallowing black murky water. When the water began to recede, he noticed that his body had been battered by drift wood and other items. "My lungs were filled with dirty water," he said.

Hardiyansah lost his younger siblings, aunt and nephew, their bodies never found. His younger brother, Nasrullah, survived and managed to save their grandmother. He took her to higher ground. The grandmother died a few years ago. Today, Hardiyansah lives in a house built by the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Board (BRR) with his wife, Cut Deviani.