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Flood survivors: 'Why us?'
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Survivors of the Sumatran flooding disaster have been recalling the horror of a gushing torrent of water that swept away relatives and friends. The flood struck without after dark late Sunday, giving most of the village little chance to react as water, rocks, logs and debris ploughed through the village of mostly wooden buildings. Deni, a 24-year old survivor, told The Jakarta Post the floods hit quickly as most people slept. Nineteen of his family members and relatives drowned, he said, while he was rescued after six hours pinned beneath logs. American tourists Tyson Murphy and Tommy Connelly said they climbed trees to escape the rising water, hanging tightly to branches for almost 12 hours before the water subsided. "We kissed our respective trees and took a branch with us," Connelly told The Associated Press. "It's one of those things you think that will never happen to you," Murphy said. "I just said a couple of prayers." The two travellers were fortunate to have a remarkable escape, but for many others the flash flood has left behind shattered lives. "She used to wear this when she rode her bicycle ... I've lost everything," cried Muhammad Yusuf as he clutched a T-shirt belonging to his three-year-old daughter who drowned in the flood. Another survivor, identified only as Hendri, recalled how his parents had little chance when the flood waters swept through their house. "The logs and rocks hit my body and turned me black and blue," he told the Associated Press. "I survived when my neighbors pulled me out of the river. I watched my father and mother drown." Illegal logging blamed
The village relied heavily on tourism but now faces a massive task of rebuilding and attracting visitors. "What are we going to do now?" asked Lebeh Muktar as he looked at the wrecked village. "Everyone knows someone who was killed. Why us?" There is also a sense of anger, with environmentalists blaming illegal deforestation in the Mount Leuser National Park for the severity of the flood. Bohorok is situated in the park, which is home to rare animals and a famous orangutan rehabilitation center. Conversationalists say the illegal logging cleared the way for the sudden surge of water, which was triggered by days of heavy rain. "The deforestation has continued unchecked," Syamsul Arifin, Regent of North Sumatra's Langkat district told The Jakarta Post. "We have several times tried to stop them, but illegal logging continues." The government and Indonesian military are widely known to profit from the trade but no concrete action has been taken against the loggers, despite much political rhetoric, the newspaper reported. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I watched my father and mother drown
