The Indonesian paradise island of Lombok was rocked by its third major earthquake in only over per week, with the official death toll from essentially the most powerful quake surpassing 400. Thousands of homes were damaged or completely destroyed in Sunday’s quake, and greater than 150,000 individuals are homeless. Earlier earthquakes also left cracks in partitions and roofs, making weakened buildings vulnerable to collapse.
In the village of Selad (western Lombok), out of 277 houses, 137 were so damaged that they were uninhabitable. People who fled their homes sleep in two camps: 95 families sleep on the college grounds and 50 families in the opposite camp
On August 7, the British aid organization Muslim Aid donated tarpaulins (10), 50 mats, blankets (50), diapers (4), bottled water (4), fast noodles (20), rice (4 bags) and tampons to the village.
The Muslim Aid ground team spoke to Inq Sone, one in all the elderly ladies sitting on mats under a tarpaulin amongst many ladies and youngsters. Inq is deaf, she is 60 years old, she has lived within the countryside all her life. Her house was once a fairly purple house nestled under the palm trees, and now it has been torn down.
She told them “During the earthquake, I was watching TV and suddenly the house shook. I ran out of the house. My house was almost completely destroyed. I’ve been sleeping outside for 5 nights now. It’s cold outside, we’re sleeping, we need blankets… I’m afraid to go home, I don’t know when my house will be repaired. I’m afraid of the future.” – she said sadly.
Sufiyanti Ira (lady with long black hair and baby) also lives under a tarpaulin with her baby
“I saved a life with a child. I felt so anxious. My house was completely demolished“.
Muslim Aid distributes diapers to mothers like Sufriyanti.
In another village, Kerujuk (northern Lombok), they met Irwan.
Irwan is married, has one daughter and has been a Muslim Aid volunteer for a year, and his work involves building ecotourism in the village.
“I was trained by Muslim Aid in human rescue and global warming and the environment. I created a book about global warming for the imam of this village so that he could talk about it with the community after prayers.”
“On the night of the earthquake, I was at home with my family after visiting another village. My first thought was to take care of my wife and daughter; I told them to crouch on the floor while I stood up and put my arms around them. We didn’t run away, but when the shaking subsided, I took my family outside.
“After checking that all families were safe, I tried to contact Muslim Aid. To see what help was available. I tried to reassure the community and told them not to worry. Then I told them to build tents with available materials while we waited for help.
“Within 24 hours, Muslim aid arrived with tarpaulins, mats, ropes, rice, mie noodles and other food to cook.
“It’s hard to think ahead because all families are affected and 99% of homes have been damaged and it will take some time to rebuild. Some may look ok on the outside but are rotten on the inside. Now we are worried that we will not be able to use public buildings such as mosques and toilets, but we have built two temporary latrines. The priority is to build more temporary latrines, followed by permanent latrines.
“People are traumatized. They have no spirit at the moment because they are still thinking about the latest earthquake yesterday… We have already had three powerful earthquakes. People are very scared as there have also been landslides near the village. They are afraid of the rain – if it comes, there is nowhere to hide. They also fear that if another quake hits, the earth will move. I can’t imagine the day when we go back to normal.”
Muslim Aid employees were already on site when the primary earthquake struck and were capable of respond immediately to assist those affected. Part of the team was near the epicenter when the second earthquake occurred. And a lot of them were within the office when the third earthquake occurred, which caused them to quickly turn into exhausted.
Initially, Muslim Aid provided emergency food including baby food, tarpaulins and warm blankets to supply temporary shelter, clothing, hygiene packs (containing shampoo, toothpaste, soap), diapers and sanitary pads, now reaching 1,600 households, mainly in distant villages and essentially the most affected areas.
The Muslim Aid team is working with coordinating organizations and continuing to evaluate people’s needs. Muslim Aid is mobilizing existing, trained local volunteers to help with relief efforts. Some of the unique team needed to return to Mataram to look for his or her family and friends.
This article was published as a part of a collaboration between Seasia and Muslim Aid UK
