What's it like to experience a Magnitude-7 Indonesian Earthquake that killed at Least 82

Bali & World news and views editor's comments. 

It was  6:46 on a Sunday evening in Bali. 

My wife and I had settled in for an evening of television, our 10-year-old was playing games on his phone and our 14-year-old was behind his locked door doing whatever 14-year-olds to.

Then it struck.

At first we thought it was a typical earthquake, nothing to worry about. 

Within seconds I realized we better get out of the house in a hurry and execute our pre-scheduled and rehearsed earthquake evacuation plan.

This quake was by far the worst I've ever experienced in my long life and defiantly the worse living in Bali in the past 22 years.

The reason we felt it so strongly is that it was only 120 km or roughly 60 miles way from us. The epicenter was on the Island of Lombok .

After evacuating  I immediately reviewed my mobile phone app for quakes and realized that there was little very little chance of a large Tsunami so we returned to our previous plans.

An hour after another one shook hard enough to cause us to get up and leave as well. 

It is very important anyplace the world to have a plan for your family in the event of an earthquake. Stay away from windows stay close to bearing walls and simply get out of the building away from many structures, ASAP.

It is important to have information about the quakes available on your phone immediately so that you don't have to search. That way you can see the extent and where the location is.

I use the  U.S.G.S. site  .

Mount Rinjani on clear day from Bali Paradise Beach Estates

Unfortunately this one had struck in very similar area to one a little over a week ago on the island of Lombok in the North East corner, next to towering Mount Rinjani, a volcano which we can actually see from our  house on a clear morning.

Epicenter 120 km or 74 miles from our home at Bali Paradise Beach Estates

After the second  aftershock we returned to her house and began to watch the news which was very despairing.

Then they showed television reports of Shopping malls not only Lombok but also on Bali where there was substantial damage. It was obvious right then and there that there was  going to be some serious injuries and probably some deaths.

 

Friends in areas such as Seminyak, Canggu and Kuta began to post information about minor damage in their area.

As the evening wore on it was clear that there was going to be some deaths. The question was how many on Lombok.

Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones in this much stronger than normal earthquake on Lombok.

.

I  prayed and gave thanks for the fact that not only was our  beachfront residence undamaged but also the 55 villas that we had built in Sanur over the years were undamaged.

I was proud of our staff at Our tripadvisor Hall of Fame award winning PT Bali Luxury Villas who initiated our earthquake evacuation program to get our guests out of  the villas and into the open areas.

It certainly helps tourists who have never experienced an earthquake to keep calm and organized in such event.

Later I reflected back on the many times over the last two decades where we made a decision to pay a higher price for quality materials and workmanship. At the time we wondered whether it was a good decision. 

Now as I see many villas, hotels and buildings that are built of inferior quality collapse I realize that we made the right decision although it ate into our profit. 

https://www.baliparadisebeachestates.com/

I would never forgive myself if any human was seriously injured or died as a result of us trying to save some money. That would be criminal in my mind.

No doubt in the coming hours and days there will reports of substantially more damage, deaths and a dramatic increase in injuries especially on Lombok. 

Let's pray that this is the end of it for many decades and mother Earth will settle down after showing  us who is the boss.

Image

A hospital in Denpasar, Indonesia, moved patients outside its building after an earthquake on Sunday.CreditJohannes Christo/Reuters


By Joe Cochrane
Aug. 5, 2018


JAKARTA, Indonesia — The popular Indonesian resort island of Lombok, already under a weeklong state of emergency, was struck once again on Sunday by a powerful earthquake. At least 82 people were killed in the quake, which was felt on Bali, just to the west, the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Television footage showed panicked residents and tourists fleeing to safety on both islands, especially in light of a warning that the quake and major aftershocks could cause a devastating tsunami.

The magnitude 7.0 quake, first announced as a magnitude 6.8 and then revised upward, tore through North Lombok’s coastal region in the early evening. Minutes later, a magnitude-5.6 aftershock jolted the region again, the agency said, the first of a wave of about a dozen aftershocks. The one-two punch damaged Lombok’s physical structures, including two shopping malls and a cathedral, officials said.
ImageParked motorbikes crushed by falling debris in Kuta, Bali, following a strong earthquake off the nearby island of Lombok.CreditJohannes Christo/Reuters


Initially, Najmul Akhyar, the district chief of North Lombok, told Metro TV that at least three people had been killed, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Akhyar said, however, that because of an electrical blackout, he did not know whether there were other casualties.

Later, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that the death toll had risen to 82. .

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Board, said in a statement that the earthquake was heavily felt in Mataran, the capital of Lombok Island, prompting residents to flee their homes. It was also felt in Sumbawa Island, to the east of Lombok.

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Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia’s national Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said in a televised statement that there were about 12 aftershocks or “smaller earthquakes.”


#Pemutakhiran,Peringatan Dini Tsunami di NTB, Gempa Mag:7.0, 05-Aug-18 18:46:35WIB, Lok:8.37LS,116.48BT,Kdlmn:15Km#BMKG pic.twitter.com/BvxnE7vq2B— BMKG (@infoBMKG) August 5, 2018

The United States Geological Survey confirmed the 7.0 quake in a post on Twitter.

The Indonesia agency reported that the earthquake struck at 6:46 p.m. western Indonesian time. It occurred in the same area that a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of July 29, killing 17 people and injuring more than 160.

That quake sent villagers fleeing into open fields to avoid collapsing buildings.

The agency initially reported that Sunday’s earthquake did not generate a tsunami, but within minutes put out a warning that a possible tsunami had formed off the north coast of Lombok. It said a tsunami has been detected in the Carik and Badas areas. The tsunami warning was later lifted.

The head of the meteorology agency said there were increased wave levels of 14 centimeters, or 5.5 inches, in the village of Carik, in North Lombok. “We predict the highest wave levels to be only one-half a meter,” she said.

Indonesia, which straddles the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In January, a magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Java, Indonesia’s main island, rocking buildings in the country’s capital, Jakarta, and sending people fleeing into the