Earthquake Devastated Lombok 5 August 2018

5 August 2018 the island of Lombok experienced an earthquake which rocked the lives of Pringgasela weaving village as well as many sounding areas.  Pringgasela lies to the south of Mount Rinjani with its towering presence a backdrop to daily life.  The earthquake’s epicentre was just north of the volcano sending wall crumbling quakes through houses and the lives of everyone.

 

Many houses collapsed and still more deemed unsafe to live.  Our workshop became home to our local family who run the weaving co-op, plus an array of others in need.  Erwin, Anna and their numerous children worked tirelessly to help construct makeshift housing and clean up what once were their homes.  We were able to support their work with profits from Tradisi.  We also donated to local groups in the area distributing basic household supplies.

 

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Pringgasela is a traditional weaving village in the foothills of Mount Rinjani, Lombok.  The main industries that support the village are farming and weaving.  Every female is taught to weave and the majority of homes have a weaving loom.  Many families in the village lived below the poverty line.

 

Wikipedia

On 5 August 2018 an earthquake measuring M_w 6.9 (M_L 7.0 according to BMKG) struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia. It was the main shock following its foreshock, a nearby 6.4 earthquake on 29 July. It was followed by a nearby 6.9 earthquake on 19 August 2018.

The epicentre was located inland, near Loloan Village in North Lombok Regency. The fault rupture spread to the north and reached the sea, creating tsunamis. Severe shaking was reported throughout the entire island, while strong shaking was reported on the neighboring islands of Bali and Sumbawa.

Widespread damage was reported in Lombok and Bali. Officials stated that at least 80% of structures in North Lombok were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of the sequence of earthquakes in August, a total of 563 people were confirmed killed while more than 1,000 were confirmed injured. More than 417,000 people were displaced.

This earthquake is the largest and the strongest earthquake to have hit Lombok in recorded history. With more than 560 deaths, it is also the deadliest earthquake in the Lesser Sunda Islands since the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami. The earthquake later caused chains of earthquakes in West Nusa Tenggara with significant magnitude, which was deemed by officials as a rare event.