A Box of Love for Our Brothers

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Volunteers carry bags of rice to be distributed to residents affected by landslides in Patallikang village, Manuju district, Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, on Friday (25/1/2019). The volunteers carried the meals up hilly terrain and along muddy roads.

Jumassang looked at the Bukit Massongko hill. Going through the muddy terrain could make the 62-year-old grandfather so exhausted. However, his enthusiasm and determination to help the other people was very strong.

On Friday on that afternoon, Jumassang began to deliver rice boxes for landslide survivors in Pattallikang village, Manuju district, Gowa regency, South Sulawesi. The rice boxes placed in plastic bags were hung on a log. He and his son Abubakar, 28, then carried the rice boxes using the logs. The side dish in the rice boxes included fried noodles and fried eggs. Other volunteers brought mineral water.

Jumassang, Abubakar and some other volunteers went to the landslide site before the Lemoa bridge was cut off by the flood. They walked more than 2 kilometers through uphill terrain. They came from the districts of Bonto-Bontoa, Somba Opu and Gowa, about 30 kilometers from Pattallikang.

They had to go through the hill because the streets were covered by rock avalanches, pieces of wood and earth. In order not to slip in the mud and slippery roads, they took off their footwear. Seeing the grandfather carrying rice boxes, several young men on the hilltop rushed to help. At that place, many young people were on standby to help the distribution of the food given by donors.

Rice boxes were provided by residents from a number of communities. A number of people were then asked to help deliver the donations to the residents affected by the disaster. "My child asked me not to come, but I insisted to go. I want to see them," Jumassang said.

Jumassang was moved to join the task after hearing that many residents in Pattallikang suffered a shortage of food because of the landslide that took place on Tuesday. The people took the initiative to provide food for the victims. On that Saturday, the food distribution began smoothly, because the roads had been cleared of debris and the construction of the bailey bridge to connect the damaged Lemoa bridge had also been completed.

The construction of the bailey bridge was carried out by soldiers from Battalion of Zeni Fight-8 / Sakti Mandra Guna Kodam XIV/Hasanuddin military command. They were also assisted by a number of policemen. They had worked since last Thursday until late at night.

Spontaneity

A wave of solidarity in helping disaster survivors in South Sulawesi was also seen in Jeneponto regency, the worst affected area in the flood. A number of motorcades entered and exited the Sapanang village, Binamu District, throughout Friday, making the narrow and muddy village road congested.

Vehicles moved slowly. The convoy of vehicles carried families and relatives of the victims. The rest were the people who have no blood relation. But due to a sense of humanity, they were moved to help. Some carried food and clothing, and some others used their physical strength to help.

"I came with a big family with help that we could give. This is spontaneity. We gave as much money as we could, and bought [food and other necessities] and carried it here. It\'s not much, but there is a sense of happiness in sharing,” said Nusyamsi, 48, a resident of Bulukumba regency, about 80 kilometers from Jeneponto.

Another was the Search and Rescue (SAR) team from the Makassar State University and the medical team of the School of Medicine of the University of Indonesia who established a medical post at the disaster site. They contributed their energy and knowledge.

Help also came from other regions. Chandra, 30, for example, together with the Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) quick response team, planned to fly to Palu, Central Sulawesi. "I will fly tonight (Friday) and tomorrow will go straight to Gowa with the ACT team. During the disaster in Palu, we received a lot of assistance and support from a number of regions. That made us feel strong. Now it\'s my turn to help," he said.

The spirit to help also came from the residents of Batangkaluku village, Somba Opu district, Gowa. They worked together to clean the homes of the residents affected by the floods.

Haslina, 65, was unable to refuse the offer from her neighbors to remove logs and debris from inside her house. The debris was brought by the water that entered the house when Haslina fled.

Haslina now lives alone after her husband died and her two children settled outside of South Sulawesi. In addition to removing the debris brought by the flood, Haslina\'s neighbors also helped clean the thick mud on the floor of the house due to the flood.

"Nobody has the heart to let the mother remove the mud from her house alone. We help as much as we can," said Unru, 16, while carrying a shovel to Haslina\'s house.

The efforts to help each other were also seen in Pangkabinanga Village, Palangga district, Gowa. Although the impact of the floods was not so severe, the mud still filled the house.

With this condition, Hasni, 55, a resident of Pangkabinanga, invited his neighbors to use his dryer to dry their wet clothes. "It can help dry the clothes as the rain often falls," he said.

Some of the neighbors were very grateful for Hasni’s kind offer. One of them was Ismail, 36, who lived next to Hasni\'s house. As a thank you, Ismail helped clean Hasni family\'s sandals and shoes that were filled with mud. Behind the suffering of the people caused by the disaster, there was hope and love as the people rose together. That is really us: Indonesia. (FRANS PATI HERIN/ RENY SRI AYU/ DIMAS WARADITYA NUGRAHA)