‘Déjà vu’ Disaster Raises Empathy

The people of Capar village, who were hit on Thursday by a mudflow evacuated to Windusakti village. Eighteen years ago, the people of Windusakti suffered a similar disaster.

Kompas/Totok Wijayanto

Local residents, with the help of a volunteer team, clear away mud on Sunday (25/2) from the mudflow that hit Cikaray hamlet in Pasirpanjang village, Salem, Brebes regency, Central Java. As of Sunday afternoon, the number of fatalities had reached 11 people, with seven people still missing.

The people of Capar village, Brebes regency, who were hit on Thursday by a mudflow evacuated to Windusakti village. Eighteen years ago, the people of Windusakti suffered a similar disaster. The local people are readily helping one another.

The mudflow that hit Capar village, Salem district, Brebes regency, Central Java, on Thursday night (22/2) has forced villagers to flee to Windusakti village. The disaster has reawakened the Windusakti people’s memories of a similar disaster that struck around 18 years ago. The bitter memories have raised the Windusakti people’s spirit to help their neighboring villagers.