Nusa Penida, an island off the coast of Indonesia, is home to several of the team members at Mitra Prodin. Flash floods reported to be the worst in 25 years, tore through villages in Nusa Penida in early December destroying homes and cutting off food, water, and medical supplies to the island.
When news reached us that the island had been hard hit by the destructive floods, our team jumped into action to offer aid and assistance to the families who were most affected. The team at MP reached out to village heads to organize disaster relief in the form of financial support and distribution of food and supply packages to those families most in need.
In late December, we traveled to Nusa Penida, armed with money and supplies to distribute to the flood victims. A half-hour speed boat from Tri Buana harbor in Klungkung took us to Sampalan harbor on Nusa Penida.
By scooter, we traveled to Tanah Bias village, where most of the village houses have been destroyed and swept towards the ocean. We met with victim families who told us about the events. Wayan Sugita explained that the water came suddenly from the hills, destroying everything in its path including the roads and his house.
We then met Nyoman Wardana and Desak Antari who told us a similar story. They too heard a loud noise around 2 am, which was the surge of floodwater that went through the village destroying their house. In their desperation to flee, Nyoman Wardana was only able to save his motorbike – their only means to work and vital for their family – from the floods. They gratefully received funds and supplies to help them get re-established.
Members of the community are also helping each other by building temporary shelters for those who have lost their homes. We met Sumari, whose home was washed into the sea, and who is now living in a makeshift shelter.
Our team was proud to be able to help out with some of the construction during our visit to the island, assisting locals in any way we could in their efforts to build make-shift and emergency shelters for people who have lost everything in the floods.
We also proudly donated food and supplies which the local banjar distributed to those who are the most vulnerable. It was just a small part of the efforts to rebuild the villages on Nusa Penida, and the team at Mitra Prodin was deeply moved to be able to contribute. We wish the people of Nusa Penida well and hope everyone is resettled and villages rebuilt and thriving again soon.
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