Connecting in the aftermath of disaster
World Food Programme (WFP) IT Officer Atmaja Sembiring was on the ground in Palu, Indonesia, to help restore connectivity after the earthquake and tsunami of 28 September 2018
During the day, locals stay in their homes — or what’s left of them — and at night they set up camp on higher ground in the surrounding areas. The aftershocks can still be felt.
“People have been afraid to sleep in their own beds since 28 September,” says Atmaja Sembiring, IT officer with the World Food Programme (WFP). He has been providing IT support to humanitarians working in Palu, capital of Central Sulawesi and one of the cities hardest hit by the disaster.
More than 65,000 houses have been severely damaged or destroyed and an estimated 330,000 people have been left without adequate shelter while 71,000 have been displaced.
In the hours following the tsunami, Atmaja recalls his trip down to Palu with his team. “The nearest airport was Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi province, an 11-hour drive to Palu,” he explains.
The team carried 40 liters of fuel in the back of a rented car, driving along bumpy, dusty roads with the windows open to dispel the smell of the noxious fumes. They eventually arrived in Palu late in the afternoon on Thursday, 4 October.
“The biggest challenge on arrival was to understand the Indonesian government’s priorities, organize a communications focal point and coordinate information,” Atmaja says. The next step was to identify who was around and assess the availability of telecommunication services. “There were so many people to talk to on the ground, even though we had already created a discussion group online, from Jakarta,” he recalls.
During the first week, one of the Government’s priorities was to restore access to mobile connectivity. But with limited fuel for power generators, mobile network operators needed to be strategic about the locations they chose.
“Electricity is key for the economy to start over.”
While mobile network operators in Central Sulawesi were restoring connectivity, electricity and fuel remained big challenges.“Electricity is key for the economy to start over,” Atmaja says. “And electricity is in very high demand in Palu. Water wells require power for their pumps. Without electricity there is no water,” he explains. “People waited in line for public toilets for an hour.” In the rural mountainside outside of Palu, fuel and electricity were even more scarce — or non-existent — which further complicated the situation.
No job is too small
Atmaja says his goal in the field is to be as useful as possible to everyone, regardless of the perceived importance of the task.
“Always assist, even with simple things like providing connectors to join circuits together. I don’t feel that any job is too small. The small work may have more impact for people than you think — not only in IT, but in other things as well,” he explains.
By connecting and supporting other humanitarians in their work, Atmaja feels he is playing a part in helping affected populations. For him, this is the essence of being professionally and personally invested in the wider humanitarian community. “My WFP colleagues and I may work in different units, but we are one team,” he says.
