As international relief operations intensify in the earthquake-shattered areas of West Sumatra, CARE is distributing aid into hard-hit areas reachable only by motorbike or on foot. CARE emergency workers say remote areas were hardest-hit by the devastating 7.6 quake Sept. 30, but have received little aid because of blocked roads.

CARE emergency teams in Vietnam and Laos are responding after Typhoon Ketsana slammed into mainland Asia yesterday, the worst typhoon the region has seen in decades. CARE’s emergency response continues in the Philippines, helping some of the nearly two million people affected by flooding as the same storm ravaged Manila earlier this week.

An estimated 200,000 people affected by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the area on September 30th, 2009. CARE, as part of a coordinated international effort, brings relief to the
affected people.

CARE responded to similar earthquakes in the same area in 2007, providing water purification supplies and emergency shelter for 65,000 people.

Dibelakang perbukitan dan barisan pepohonan, di tepi tebing dataran tinggi 45 kilometer dari Kota Pariaman, Korong Barang-barangan tersembunyi dari dunia luar. Desa itu tidak memiliki fasilitas listrik maupun air pipa, Jadi ketika gempa bumi terjadi pada senja 30 September, menyebabkan kerusakan parah pada sejumlah infrastuktur dan rumah, masyarakat desa itu diam-diam bertahan hidup dengan cara mereka sendiri yang sederhana, tanpa bantuan dari siapa-siapa.

It was Wednesday afternoon in the village of Tanjung Alai. Sariani had just finished her prayers and was sitting in the living room watching TV with her five-year-old grandchild, Farisa. It was a regular evening; everything was just fine until the ground started to shake.

Dini Kusumawardani, nama perempuan itu, berumur 28 tahun dan berasal dari keluarga beranggotakan 6 orang. Dia adalah anak kedua di keluarganya. Mereka tinggal di Legoso Permai, Ciputat, sebuah kecamatan yang cukup padat di Provinsi Banten, Indonesia. Tidak lama setelah lulus dari SMA, Dini bekerja di sebuah pabrik handuk. Tugasnya saat itu membungkus handuk-handuk ke dalam kemasan apik untuk dijual. Setiap hari, dia menghirup udara yang berdebu dan serat-serat handuk yang halus ketika bekerja. Mengalami masalah pernafasan terus menerus selama hampir dua tahun, Dini semakin lama semakin tidak produktif di tempat kerja. Setelah mengalami batuk tak berkesudahan selama beberapa waktu, diapun memutuskan untuk berhenti bekerja.