"My mother-in-law said it was just thunder. I said, No, the house is shaking.' Not long after, boulders came crashing down, she recalled. My younger sibling was staying over. When the landslide happened, I kicked him to wake him up. If we had all been sleeping, we would have died in that house. Grabbing her daughter, Eleanor, Sri fled to the nearby church. From the hilltop, they watched in horror as another landslide completely destroyed their home."
"For a week now, the family has taken refuge at the church alongside hundreds of other displaced victims. The cyclone-triggered floods and landslides have killed at least 770 people, according to government data, with 463 people still missing. Praise God, we were all saved. Our belongings can be replaced, what matters is that the children and everyone else survived, she said."
Cyclone-triggered floods and landslides devastated North Tapanuli in North Sumatra, flattening homes and prompting mass displacement. At least 770 people have died and 463 remain missing, according to government figures. Survivors fled at night as boulders and mudslides struck hillsides, with many taking refuge at a hilltop church alongside hundreds of other displaced people. Several families escaped only because loud crashes woke them. Possessions were lost but lives were saved. Survivors report ongoing trauma, fear of everyday noises, and urgent requests for government help with relocation away from hazardous slopes.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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