Evacuation Continues in Earthquake-Hit Lombok
MATARAM, KOMPAS –The earthquake in Lombok over the weekend triggered landslides along Mt. Rinjani’s hiking trails. Of the 689 hikers trapped on the mountain, 543 have been rescued. An operation on Tuesday seeks to rescue the remaining 146.
Some 146 hikers remained trapped on the hiking trails of Mt. Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) as of Monday night (30/7/2018). A land and air rescue operation seeks to rescue them on Tuesday (31/7).
By 8 p.m. on Monday, 543 hikers had been rescued in an operation involving 184 rescuers, including military and police personnel, medical professionals and a team from Mount Rinjani National Park (TNGR). The rescue team also involved 140 personnel of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) from Jakarta. Monday’s rescue operation began at 8 a.m. The joint rescue team combed the mountain’s hiking trails and directed hikers they encountered to a safe descent.
During the search, 689 hikers were found trapped in the area of the mountain. “Six of them were women and they were exhausted. They will be evacuated on a chopper,” East Lombok earthquake mitigation task force deputy head Maj. Arifianto said on Monday.
Of the five hiking trails on Rinjani, only one was left open for the descent. Trapped hikers began to arrive at 2:30 p.m. in Bawak Nao hamlet, Sajan village, in the foothills of Mt. Rinjani. The rescued hikers included 189 foreign hikers, 173 Indonesian hikers, 31 guides and 150 porters.
President’s visit
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited on Monday the earthquake victims living in emergency camp in Medas hamlet, Obel-obel village, Sambelia district, East Lombok. The President ensured that all victims were properly treated and that the disaster response was running well, including the provision of health care, logistics and basic supplies and emergency schooling.
The President and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo took off Monday at 7 a.m. on the Air Force’s Super Puma helicopter from Sumbawa’s Sultan Muhammad Kaharuddin Airport. They landed at 7:30 a.m. at the NTB State Police School (SPN) helipad in East Lombok. From there, the President and his entourage traveled directly to the disaster response unit (Tagana) post in Medayin village, Sambelia district.
Near the evacuation camp in Medas hamlet, the President observed a house that had sustained severe damage from the earthquake, which hit on Sunday morning (29/7) with magnitude 6.4. The President also talked with local residents to find out their most pressing needs.
At the evacuation shelter, the President announced that the government would disburse home renovation funds for damaged houses. “There will be Rp 50 million [US$3,459.56] for each house that has been severely damaged. The military will supervise the renovation and the governor, regents and other local officials will monitor the process,” the President said.
He also urged locals to remain alert, as the region had many active volcanoes. “The local people should be prepared to face whatever disaster at any time, including earthquakes and floods,” he said.
Villagers in Sajang, Sembalun district, East Lombok, said that they were waiting for aid packages, including meals, beverages, blankets, diapers and medicines. Local stocks were limited as of Monday. The plan is for local residents to stay at the evacuation shelters for two weeks, even though they are not outfitted with kitchens. “Our children are sleeping without blankets and it’s terribly cold at night,” said Saiful Nuryadi, the head of Medas hamlet, which is located in the foothills of Mt. Rinjani.
In North Lombok, the local administration announced a seven-day emergency period from Sunday (29/7). “The BMKG analysis shows that there is no threat of a tsunami. [We hope] the local people will remain calm, alert and coordinate with local officials,” said North Lombok Regent Najmul Ahyar.
The North Lombok administration’s data shows that 6,237 residents from 4,047 families were affected by the earthquake. Four were killed when buildings collapsed and 39 were injured. Some 263 houses were damaged: 148 were lightly damaged, 74 damaged and 41 severely damaged. Two mosques, one musholla (prayer house) and one temple were also damaged. In total, 15 people were killed in Lombok.
Mount Rinjani National Park head Sudiyono said that all hiking trails were closed on Monday. Hikers that had entered the trails were instructed to descend immediately. “We will comb the trails again to ensure that no hikers remain up there,” he said.
The search also aims to locate landslides along the hiking trails. It is believed that landslides have affected several spots on the trails.
Azka Firman, 19, a hiker, said that he and his friends were at Lake Segara Anak when the earthquake hit. They had planned to camp for two days by the lake. However, the earthquake forced them to descend the mountain after spending only several hours there. “I am still traumatized. My legs still shake whenever I recall the landslides,” he said.
Many in Obel-obel village on Mt. Rinjani’s foothills are also traumatized. They were still sleeping outside on Monday night, even through several houses remained relatively intact. Others whose houses had collapsed chose to sleep in the emergency tents erected in the village square.
Obel-obel resident Supar, 63, said that he and the eight members of his family had decided to stay in the emergency tents for now. Despite the cold and the tents were open, they said they felt safe and would not need to move to an emergency shelter elsewhere. “I plead for the government to provide an immediate solution to fix our leveled house. Please do it soon, because we need a place to stay,” he said. (SYA/WAD/JUD/NTA/E15)