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Lombok earthquake our emergency response in Indonesia

Lombok earthquake: our emergency response in Indonesia

On 5 August, Lombok in Indonesia was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake – the second earthquake to strike the island in a week.

The first quake, on 31 July, killed 17 people, destroyed or damaged 4,500 houses and 31 schools, and affected around 50,000 Lombok residents.

The second has already claimed 105 lives, with 236 people injured and thousands of buildings damaged, as aftershocks continue to shake the island.

Below: Moments after the earthquake struck on 5 August, our Emergency Response Team filmed the evacuation of communities to higher ground.

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‘People have been sleeping in open fields’

Our Emergency Response Team are on the ground, providing essential support to children and their families in the worst-affected areas.

Our main priority is to distribute emergency shelter kits, made up of tarpaulins, sleeping mats and blankets, so those who have lost their homes have a safe place to sleep at night.

We’re also providing counselling for children and supporting those who are unable to go to school, by distributing emergency school kits and helping teachers continue their education while schools remain closed.

With essential infrastructure damaged, including water sources, our teams are also assessing access to water, sanitation and hygiene, to prevent the spread of potentially deadly diseases.

People in Lombok really need shelters. This is absolutely critical, because people have been sleeping in open fields for many days now.

– Dini Widiastuti, Plan International Indonesia

Reaching communities as quickly as possible

In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be providing humanitarian assistance to 2,500 families in six villages in Lombok.

Our team in Indonesia have already dispatched 500 emergency shelter kits, containing 1,000 tarpaulins, 1,000 sleeping mats and 2,000 blankets.

Given the poor road conditions in Lombok, these essential supplies are being distributed by air, to ensure they reach communities as quickly as possible.

"Children have been living in exposed conditions for days, and there have been reports of increased respiratory illnesses as a result,” says Dini Widiastuti, from Plan International Indonesia.

“Our number one priority at the moment is to ensure we are providing shelter to children and their families.”

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