Monday 29 May 2006. Greetings from Yogya in agony. Most of the worst devastation occurred south of the city while our Jesuit residence is located on the north side. Our newly constructed house was able to handle the severe shaking and there was very little damage to our building, thank God. The nearby new campus has had some damage and we are awaiting advice on whether some of the buildings can be entered.
My office on the Mrican campus is one the top floor of the library building. Fortunately, ceiling tiles made of light materials fell on the floor and many books also fell off their shelves. Otherwise it appears the damage was relatively minor. The electricity has now been connected but we have not yet been able to try out the computers and printers.
Shortly after the earthquake hit the radio reported that the worst damage was located in the area of Bantul and Ganjuran where the orphanage is located, I immediately rode my regular bicycle for the 20-mile journey since gasoline stations could not pump without electricity.
When I got to Ganjuran, the Catholic hospital there was overflowing with patients, some of whom were bleeding badly. The main Church collapsed during the morning Mass and three people were killed. Fortunately when I got to the newly constructed small units of the orphanage, all 55 children and four sisters were safe. Only one roof from the old section of the building collapsed. Naturally, the children were quite frightened and fear the aftershocks. This fear forced everyone to sit outside their homes as well as sleep outside. Ibu Puji and her whole extended family came to our Jesuit residence to spend the night. Unfortunately it rained for an hour or so but we were sheltered.
The saddest news was that both the father and the mother (in their 80’s) of Fr. Paul Suparno (who lives here in our Paingan Jesuit community and just finished his term as Rector of the university) died when their home in the Wedi section of Klaten collapsed. He also lost two nephews as well. Another priest in the Jesuit community, Fr. Prapto, also lost his mother in the same area.
When I went to the Catholic hospital to give blood on Sunday, the corridors were full of people sleeping on mattresses because all the rooms were filled. Many of the victims are elderly from the many small villages in the Yogya area. Their homes had very simple construction – brick walls and Spanish tiles for roofs appropriate for our tropical climate. Hopefully, many of the homes can be reconstructed using the old roof tiles but most families are rather poor. One of the great strengths of the Javanese culture is the extended family. On the one hand, the elderly people who died will be great mourned by the many generations who have experienced their tender loving care. On the other hand, the family networks are already rallying to the challenge of comforting each other and eventually reconstruction. Crises and disasters really bring out the character in good people. It is very edifying to witness first hand.
