Living the Post-quake Life with a Strong Heart

Karmel Dawati and her son Muhammad Dian Zulham took a group photo after signing the Tzu Chi Tadulako Resident's Housing Settlement Agreement, Palu, Central Sulawesi.

What a strong woman. It was not an exaggeration to call Karmel Dawati as a strong woman.When the Balaroa Perumnas was swallowed up by the liquefaction on September 28, 2018, Karmel faced a big struggle to save her husband, who was buried in the ground for days. The condition at the time was so chaotic, making it difficult for any assistance to arrive. 

During the incident, she and her husband, Alfian (47) were in the house. Prior to the liquefaction occurred, there was a big earthquake. Before the big earthquake, there were two small earthquakes that occurred around 15:00 WIT. On the first earthquake, Karmel was sleeping in the television room, while her husband stayed in the bedroom.

"I woke up. When I wanted to wake my husband, the earthquake stopped. When the second earthquake happened, I woke up again, but it stopped shortly so I went back to sleep. It turned out that my husband got up, ate, and went out at 4 pm. Around 5 o'clock, he came back. He said, ‘Mel, I am home. I just came back from a haircut.’ He said, 'My man. Isn't he handsome?' Yes, I answered. He went into the bathroom, turned on the water, then he came out again and said, 'Mel, let's get ready to go out,' "she recalls.

Karmel Dawati signed the Tzu Chi Tadulako Resident's Housing Settlement Agreement, Palu, Central Sulawesi on Saturday, January 11, 2020.

Not long after, another earthquake came. It was a big one, 7.4 richter. Karmel, who was staying in the kitchen felt so weak and was unable to stand, she hid underneath the table while her husband ran towards the front of the house.

“I thought he ran away and survived, he left me, turned out he was the one who didn’t make it,” her voice trembled.

“They say he went back inside. Probably looking for me, but stuck on the porch. There he was buried by rubble. After the earthquake, I looked for a way out, most of the buildings had collapsed but the kitchen, but the roof had also fallen. I kept looking for a way out but nothing. The roof of the house was tilted, I went up to the roof of the house and found a way out, " she said. The day went dark, it was night time. She was looking for people around, but they're no longer there, she was alone.

I call, 'Abang, abang!'. He replied, ‘I am buried, my feet are squeezed, please help me’. I dug and dug but it was all concrete. Concrete all over it. I dug up, there is one concrete, it was very big and was lifted, " she said.

Karmel Dawati and her relatives who also live in Duyu Huntara.

In the midst of her attempt to dig up the rubble that was hoarding her husband, Karmel saw three men passed by. Karmel hurriedly called out to them to help her save her husband. "Sorry, ma'am, I can't help, I'm looking for my family too," they answered. Sad, but Karmal understood the situation.

She continued digging the soil that was hoarding her husband. Then the flames started to burst behind her house."I said to my husband,‘Read the prayer, I will seek help," she continued.

At around 1 AM, Karmel tried to leave towards Jalan Manggis Atas. However when she got there, the mud had risen and one of her legs fell into the mud. After managed to pull her leg out, she walked faster towards her brother’s house at Jalan Poe Bongo. There she met her only son, Muhammad Dian Zulham, he was 19 back then.

“Alhamdulillah he survived. ‘I said let’s get back in and get something to help your father  who was buried underneath the rubble. Let’s take some hammer, saw, and machete,” said Karmel.

Karmel felt better when she received her house number at Tzu Chi Tadulako Love Housing, Palu.

At around 3 AM, Karmel, her brother and her son arrived back at Perumnas Balaroa. On the edge of the Perumnas area, she found neighbors whose legs were broken, broken bones, and more. She was also stopped by several people from entering Perumnas because the fire had spreaded.

Around 6 AM, the sun had risen, but the fire in Balaroa Perumnas was still burning.

"I asked my brother, where was the fire going, he said near the mosque. Which meant it was far from her house, let's go in again. That morning, my husband was still asking for help. On top of that all the zinc were burned. We tried to dig with a hammer, every time someone came , we asked for an extra help, finally I could see my husband, but his legs could not be pulled, "she said.

Karmel immediately gave him a drink. After that, people helped her to pull her husband's leg, but it still didn't work. Even a small child was asked to put his head in the hole that was dug and was held on his waist from above to see her husband's other leg, but the child could not find it either.

Tzu Chi Indonesia signed an agreement with 553 prospective residents of Tzu Chi Tadulako Love Housing on 11-12 January 2020.

"There was a neighbor whose finger is broken, but survived, she said, 'Uni what if we cut his leg off'. Her husband said, 'Just cut what's important as long as I get out of here'. I said, cut it with what, we didn't even know where his legs were. So no one was brave to cut his legs.

That afternoon he asked for another drink," she said.

Karmel ran out to get her husband some more drink. She also got warm water and sugar with cakes and asked her brother to give the drink to her husband. Karmel was no longer able to approach her husband since she was not wearing any sandals, while the asphalt felt so hot.

"Not long after, more people came to try to lift the rubble. Then her brother came, ‘Uni, brother seems to be asleep, he's tired’, he said. "Apparently, my husband has died since 1 pm," she sobbed. The earthquake itself occurred on Friday afternoon, and Karmel's husband died Saturday afternoon.

Karmel’s Struggle Has not Stopped There

It took a few days before Alfian's body could be evacuated. On the first day, people had tried to pull his legs with a pulley, but it had not been successful. On the second day, assisted by the TNI, but it still didn't work. On the third day, then came the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) members, but it still didn't work.On the fourth day, the heavy equipment entered, but could only reach Jalan Manggis Bawah. On the fifth day, another new heavy equipment could actually enter, but Karmel only received the assistance on the sixth day, amid the many people who also asked for help.

Joe Riadi (right) and Sudarman Lim, Tzu Chi volunteers, gave directions and explanations to residents in the Baruga Hall, Vatulemo Park, Palu City.

"It turned out that my husband's leg was pierced by an iron fence. That's why it couldn't be pulled," she said. The next day, the body was then given a prayer, and buried a day later at the Balaroa Public Cemetery.

Four days after burying her husband, Karmel, who was staying at her brother's house then went to check her house in the Perumnas Balaroa. There were many houses in Balaroa that was destroyed that it couldn't be identified anymore, but hers was still recognizable. On the other had, her car whose body parts had previously been stuck to the ground, had been looted by cutting off parts of the car.

Today, More than A Year has passed
Before living in Duyu Huntara with her relatives, including Nasrizal Nasotan, for more than a year Karmel was staying at her brother's house. She was grateful for the help from the Padang People's Union in the form of money, which she used as capital to start a small business. Previously, Karmel and her husband who were originally from Padang migrated to Palu City and bought a house in Perumnas Balaroa in 1998. The house had been paid since the beginning.

Tzu Chi volunteers placed the house number at the Tadulako Love Housing, Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Before the earthquake happened, I sold medicine and clothes. After losing everything and my house was burned, I had nothing left to take," she said.

Karmel sells her stuff at Biromaru Market, Sigi twice a week. The market is about 10 kilometers from Duyu Huntara. She goes to the market and back by asking for a lift from a neighbor who owns a car. Karmel usually leaves at 6 AM and work until 12 noon.

Meanwhile his son's education, Muhammad Dian Zulham, who is in his third semester, majoring in forestry, was able to be continued with the help from the campus.

One thing that Karmel is looking forward to is whether she can receive help from Tzu Chi housing in Tondo, after she went through the verification process by Tzu Chi Indonesia in August 2019.

"Yeah... Tondo is far, but it is more important to have somewhere to live since renting a place will cost more. That's what I've been thinking," she said.

One more step to her dream

Each house will be equipped with bunk beds. Volunteers worked together to take in the beds for 553 houses that had been given a house number.

New year 2020, new hope. This new hope was felt by the 553 residents of Palu City after signing the Letter of Agreement for Prospective Residents of the Tzu Chi Tadulako Love Housing, Palu, Central Sulawesi on Saturday and Sunday, January 11-12, 2020. Karmel was one of them. She signed the agreement on Saturday, with several other Duyu Huntara residents. Along with that signing, the certainty of her having the house was clear. She will later live in the house number C-8.

Her heart was full of joy, even though she’s still haunted by sadness. She felt happy since her dream to live in a new house is soon to be true, yet her sadness couldn’t be stopped every time she remembered that her family is no longer complete. It was more apparent when she had to take a family picture, she only has her son. “Thank God, I am very happy at the thought of owning a house, but I feel sad every time I remember my husband.”

In fact, 6 months after the disaster, Karmel often daydreamed and regretted her fate. Luckily, with her determination and enthusiasm, as well as support from her family and other donors, Karmel then able to resume her small business. "In the past, I was selling clothes and medicines, now only medicines," she said.

Conditions of Tzu Chi Tadulako Love Housing. For this first phase there are 577 houses that soon to be finished and ready to be inhabited.

Even though she didn't get as much as she used to, at the very least her busyness can slowly put her sorrow away. Karmel has now become more sincere and patient. "You have to be patient, this is a test, what else can you do, just live by it, many of us were affected by this not just me. And Thank God, (now) there has been an open road, we are able to restart our business and get a house too," she said.

Karmel is grateful, that in the midst of the calamity that befell her and other Palu residents, there are many parties who care and pay attention to  them. "Thank you very much to the Tzu Chi Buddha Foundation, who have helped and gave us a home. Happy, Alhamdulillah, I will take care  of this house," she said.

Translated by Chrestella Budyanto (Tzu Chi School)