Six months on, I was hoping that Padang would be a changed place. We left it in a state of ruin- buildings everywhere had collapsed, roads were destroyed, electricity and running water weren't completely back up and running.
Driving around downtown Padang now, it's hard to imagine that the city was in a state of chaos just six months ago. The streets are bustling, school students are everywhere, stores are back in business.
You can also see that things are starting to be rebuilt. The site of the massive Ambacang Hotel ruin that served as the backdrop of our live coverage last year has almost been cleared of debris. I'm told another hotel will be built in its place. The school that collapsed while it was full of students has resumed classes across the road. The site of the old school hasn't been cleared yet, serving as a grim reminder of the disaster to its current teachers and students.
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A lot of the massive government buildings are damaged, but still standing; apparently they've been deemed unfit to work in. The city's major hospital is in the process of building a new wing, next to the mountains of rubble where other medical buildings once stood. I'm told that the progress of the reconstruction is slow. At least things are underway.
It's an entirely different situation in West Sumatra's rural areas. These villages were hardest hit by the quakes. When I was there last, people were crying out for help. Everywhere you went, people had pitched make-shift tents outside of their ruined homes. They didn't have electricity or clean, running water, and it was much worse here than in Padang city.
I was hoping that things would be noticeably different six months on. But sadly, they aren't. There's continuous electricity and access to water, which is good. But very few homes have been rebuilt. One village looks like a tent city. These make-shift homes are made from tarpaulins donated by various aid agencies. The villagers tell me that they're unbearable to live in amid the searing heat. Families of up to 11 people are living in these tiny tarp-made structures - there's one small room no more than 2 x 2 metres in size, plus another room attached to it which is even smaller.
We've also managed to reach the site of the massive landslides that buried hundreds of villagers alive. We weren't able to get here last year because the destruction was just too great. The area affected by the landslides stretches as far as you can see. Survivors still living around the area tell me they were triggered straight after the quakes. I ask them why they're still living on the edge of these landslides and they they don't have any other choice.
It's hard to say when these villagers will get the help they need.
