My Family is My Home

“It would be more difficult to clean the site if we didn’t have the kits. Previously, we didn’t have a proper set of kits. Only some tools were available, well, we could have used a hoe, but other people need it more than me.”, said Asep Tajudin, one of the survivors of the Cianjur earthquake who came from Cipakucau, Suka Jaya Village, when he asked about the RRK (Rubber Removal Kits) distributed by Habitat Indonesia.

As one of the steel company’s employees, it’s usual for Asep to work at the factory in the middle of the day. Suddenly Asep and his colleagues felt that the machine was moving heavily and the factory’s roof was trembling. “I got shocked, the ground was trembling heavily, and the steel construction was shaking.”, said Asep.  

He was still in shock when he received a call from his wife. “At that time, my wife called me. She gave me a video with our house already collapsed on the ground. My wife said there was an earthquake.”. Receiving the message, Asep headed home straightly. “I asked permission from my boss; then I went home immediately.”

Asep said he was grateful because his wife and children survived the quake. “It happened fast. First, my wife heard a sound, not knowing there would be an earthquake. Fortunately, my children were outside the house, so my wife could save them right before the house collapsed.”, said Asep.

Ever since childhood, Asep has lived in Suka Jaya Village. However, he had never encountered an earthquake as strong as November 21st, 2022. “I never encountered such an earthquake. Usually, there was only a mild tremor.”.

After surviving 1-2 days on the street, Asep and the other survivors started to set up emergency tents. “After 1-2 days, we build emergency tents. We struggled to get food supplies since the stocks inside our house were already gone due to the quake. On the second or the third day, we received help from the donators.”

Asep’s house was destroyed completely. “All is broken; there were only ruins.”. Asep hopes to rebuild his home immediately. Fortunately, he received a package of the ESK (Emergency Shelter Kits) from Habitat and CRS. The package contains a hoe, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and other construction tools. Asep’s wife started to clean the remaining ruins on the site. “It would be more difficult to clean the site if we didn’t have the kits. Previously, we didn’t have a proper set of kits. Only some tools were available; we could have used a hoe, but other people need it more than me.”

Asep felt he received great help. “Alhamdulillah, I can use all the kits.”. In the future, Asep will use the kits for inventory. Asep’s spirit is unless. “What makes me keep fighting is that my wife and children survived the quake. It doesn’t matter if my house didn’t survive as long as my family stays alive.”