That day the sun finally shone in Bali. It’s around 8 o’clock in the evening, I’m sitting in my room with my family and we are planning our agenda for the next day. First the bed starts to shake and suddenly the whole room shakes. Or am I dreaming? No, the whole earth is shaking!
I once saw a program on TV about Japan where kindergarten children were practicing how to behave during an earthquake. They’re trying to be at least a little bit prepared for this natural phenomenon. But no one prepared me for anything like this. I don’t know why, but somehow it stuck in my mind that I should pack my essentials during an earthquake. So while my family had already run out of the hotel, I was looking for my wallet and things to take with me. 🙂 Honestly? It’s stupid! At this moment it’s not the full wallet, the new suitcase you bought, your favourite dress, but your life!!!
I have to admit that I didn’t recognize the earthquake at first because I had never experienced it first hand. I thought a volcano had just erupted and I was far enough away from it that nothing could happen to me. But it wasn’t a volcano, it was a normal earthquake. It only lasted a few minutes. According to the actual earthquake website, it was a 6.9 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was about 35km off Bali, in the sea below the islands of Gili Air and Gili Travangan. It also caused extensive damage in Lombok. Yes, just below the islands we were going to in three days.
It’s a strange feeling! The only thing going through your mind is that you wonder – will it stop or will it continue? Unfortunately it did, because at about two hour intervals, more aftershocks were felt. These are repeated four more times. In the morning, only the breakfast table shakes, then nothing.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THE NEXT EARTHQUAKE WON’T BE EVEN BIGGER?
You can tell just by the second shake. If it’s weaker than the first, you can relax. On the other hand, if it’s stronger, it means you can prepare for the big one.
I’m not gonna lie to you, I was scared shitless. I guess I wasn’t alone, because as I later learned from the news, there were a lot of people in restaurants or in their hotel rooms at the time. As soon as the earthquake hit, they started running out and freaking out. Our hotel was located by the rice fields, and they didn’t even speak proper English at the hotel. When we asked what it was, we got no answer. And maybe that’s why we were calm within the norm.
SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Now you know what an earthquake looks like. The whole earth shakes. But the ground is the safest, so if you’re in a hotel room, try to leave as soon as possible. Because you can’t be sure your building isn’t about to collapse. The first earthquake is usually strong, so you really don’t have time to take your essentials with you like I originally thought. the first time I didn’t even have time to put my shoes on, and when I walked up the stairs I was praying I would make it.
SO HOW TO BEHAVE?
DURING THE EARTHQUAKE
Find the nearest safe place in the building:
1 Cling to a load-bearing wall, a door frame or hide under a sturdy table, counter or bed. Extinguish open fires as there is a risk of gas explosion from a broken pipe or fire.
2 Move away from external doors, windows and glass surfaces.
3 Watch out for loose objects.
4 Lack of time usually does not allow you to locate the nearest shelter. Most injuries are caused by running out of houses in panic and by running into shelters. Therefore, when running out of houses, watch out for falling ledges and chimneys.
5 If you are in an elevator, leave it at the nearest floor.
6 If the tremors catch you on the stairs, sit down, hold the handrail with one hand and protect your head with the other.
IN OPEN SPACE
1 Look for open areas away from buildings, bridges, high tension poles and tall trees (open spaces).
2 If the earthquake surprises you while driving a vehicle, stop as quickly as possible (preferably in an open area), but do not get out.
AFTER EARTHQUAKE
1 Keep calm!
2 Be prepared for shocks.
3 Unless you are seriously injured or overwhelmed yourself, give first aid to yourself and others.
4 Turn on the radio and follow the instructions.
5 Do not use the lift. It may be damaged or blocked by a power outage.
6 Check gas, water and electrical lines. If damaged, shut off the main supply.
7 Search the building and surrounding area for possible fire outbreaks, either extinguish them or call the fire department if possible.
8 Use caution when leaving the building, eaves, chimneys and other parts of the building may still be falling.
9 No private phone calls. The telephone network must be used primarily for organising rescue work, there is a risk of blackouts if it becomes overloaded.
10 No private car journeys, as roads must remain clear for the rapid movement of police, fire and rescue vehicles.
11 Follow the orders of police, fire and rescue teams.
12 If you are overwhelmed, try to knock on metal or other objects that transmit sound well to summon help.
13 If you have a mobile phone, try to call for help through loved ones or emergency phone lines.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION?
I already wrote that I wasn’t prepared and the hotel didn’t tell us anything. So of course the only thing that helped me was the internet, where I started looking for information. And I also started to look if there was a risk of a volcano eruption or a tsunami, because we were going to the islands.
- I first searched for information on Asean Earthquake Information Centre – where you will find a list of earthquakes that have already occurred. You’ll also find out how strong it was. But that’s pretty useless, because you’re wondering what to do next.
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) – people are posting comments about earthquakes. At least you’ll know how others feel about it.
- Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre – a page to find out if a tsunami is imminent.
- The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) – current information about volcanic activity (in the column on the right is a list of different volcanoes and an indicator of how they are doing).
If you look at all the information, you will find that Bali is so middle of the road in terms of risk compared to other areas in Indonesia. I mean, nothing happened, but for a few days afterwards I was still having tics from every seizure. I was scared to go to the shower, what if it caught me there again. The next day the earthquake happened again and this time it woke me up at exactly midnight in my sleep. Not pleasant, but since I was already a little familiar with the matter, I managed to get dressed quickly. Then when I reached the stairs, the earthquake had stopped. The next day I started hearing from friends and family to see if we were okay. I don’t know what was on TV, but believe me, the media likes to make things up.
What about our islands? They ended up cancelling our accommodations, even though they pretended nothing was wrong at first. Unfortunately, the Lombok area and adjacent islands were hit hard and remained closed to tourists. Only those who wanted to help clear the debris caused by the earthquake remained. In Bali, on the other hand, time did not stand still, but life went on as if nothing had happened. However, locals told us they were very shocked and scared. Our taxi driver who took us on the trip, however, assured us that we need not worry. That everything would be all right again because the locals were praying. But not just for themselves, for Bali, but for the rest of Indonesia to be okay.
It’s just as much fun when you find out that if you don’t care about your bare life, you don’t really give a shit!
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