A groan to her left made her turn.
Dewi’s grandmother lay underneath a section of the wooden ceiling which had collapsed.Mila hurried over.“Ma’am, are you hurt?”she asked in Indonesian.
“My arm is broken.”
OK.Not too bad.At least she could walk.“We’ll get you out of here.”She examined the chunk of woven ceiling.It didn’t appear to be holding anything else up.If she and Dewi could lift it, Dewi’s grandmother could get out.
Dewi had already cleared the debris away from the ceiling section and was waiting for instruction.
“Take that side.”Mila pointed to the far side, which should be slightly lighter for the child.“On the count of three, we’ll lift and move it to the side.”
Dewi nodded as Mila shifted into position.
“One, two, three.”She hefted the ceiling, grunting at its weight.
Dewi’s grandmother groaned and Dewi dropped her section of the ceiling and dashed to her side.
Mila strained as the full weight of the ceiling panel fell to her and she shoved it against the wall.By the time she turned, Nenek was standing and Dewi was helping her to the exit.
The gas stench was getting stronger.
“Is there a gas valve anywhere?”she asked Nenek as she joined them.
“Outside against the wall.”
Mila scanned the kitchen for a splint for Nenek’s arm and grabbed a couple of towels on her way out.“Take her into the square,” she told Dewi.“I’ll join you in a second.”
She made her way around the house and located the two gas bottles.One hose had been disconnected, so she turned the tap off.As she was heading back to the square, the first aftershock hit.
She swayed as the ground trembled, her heart racing and people shouting.Crashes came from all around her and she stumbled towards the square.Something brushed her back as she rounded the house but she didn’t stop to see what was collapsing behind her.She didn’t stop until she reached Dewi and her grandmother.
By then the trembling had stopped.
She exhaled, breathing deeply as her heart rate came down.“Let me check your arm.”Mila gently examined Nenek’s bruised arm.The bone hadn’t broken through the skin, but there was an unnatural bend to it.The nearest medical centre was a street back from the ocean.It was likely to be inundated by people already, but Mila couldn’t help her.“I’ll take you to the doctor.”
Nenek shook her head.“No.Desa Agung.”
The nearest village was a twenty-minute drive away in the mountains.They were likely to have been hit by the earthquake as well.“The medical centre is closer.”
“No,” Nenek insisted.“Tsunami.”
Mila froze.The air swooshed out of her lungs as she scanned the area.Those who had found their loved ones were climbing onto scooters and heading east up the mountain.Only those who were searching for missing people stayed.
She should have thought of it.The earthquake and subsequent tsunami twenty years ago was why Mila’s mother had visited the island.And her mother’s memories of the place had drawn Mila here.
Back then, almost half the population of the island had died because there had been no tsunami early warning systems.
It was clear people knew exactly what to do this time.
Mila nodded and asked, “Do you have a vehicle?”
The grandmother yelled to a nearby woman and in moments they had arranged transport in an already overloaded truck.
“Come,” the grandmother demanded.
Mila had her own scooter, and she wouldn’t fit inside the truck.
“Miss Mila!”The scream made her spin around.Another one of her students, Fajar, ran towards her, eyes wide, and tears streaming down his face.
