PALU, Indonesia — Wuhan is just 1, but her face already tells a story. When a 20-foot-high tsunami roared into Palu after an earthquake hit, it tore through everything in its path. Wuhan was swept into the water and disappeared for 24 hours.
It turns out Wuhan was trapped underneath the rubble in her family’s beachfront neighborhood, which was destroyed by the tsunami. She was found surrounded by mud and underneath two dead bodies.
“I thank God because she has a new life,” her mother Endang said.
Wuhan was swept away by the tsunami that hit Indonesia, but was later found alive, after she was buried under debris.
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But their story is one of the fortunate ones in the region. More than 70,000 people who survived the disasters are now homeless, many of them children living in makeshift tent camps. They have no running water or electricity and trash is overflowing and burning in the streets. They have used a river for drinking water and as a toilet.
“I don’t know where to go,” Endang said. “I no longer have a home.”
Thankfully, help is finally arriving. The Indonesian military is beginning to distribute food, water and clothing. Endang was given instant noodles and water so she could finally feed her daughter. She’s worried about the future but grateful that she still has the one thing she truly needs.
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