A woman is sitting alone, crying, in the middle of the rubble of her house, in a village close to Padang Alai. She says she's still trying to find some of her belongings. Her family was hit by another earthquake back in 2007, but their house was not badly damaged that time. Now, after this quake, she sleeps every night in her neighbours' house.

"We have lost everything, not only the house. The rice field and our plantation are destroyed as well. My husband is a farmer. Now we don't have anything left. I don't know what to do. I can't think straight now, I'm not in a condition to think. I'm just waiting for my brother to come and he will advise me."

Marlene LEE, MSF psychologist found everybody has been affected in the disaster hit area, most of them have lost their house or belongings or family members. [©Juan-Carlos Tomasi/MSF]

Aid is slow to arrive in Padang Alai, as it has to be brought by motorbike or by foot. Médecins Sans Frontières has started to distribute relief items such as blankets, plastic sheeting and jerry cans to survivors in the area and will increase these operations in the coming days to reach more villages.

In the most affected areas, many victims are traumatized. Most villagers have lost their house and all their belongings, and often too their family members. MSF psychologists are carrying out group sessions, where they explain simple ways of coping with such a traumatic experience. For the most severe cases, the MSF psychologists have started to offer direct counseling support.