President Jokowi Expected to Issue Instruction on Lombok-Quake Relief Efforts

President Jokowi answers reporters’ questions regarding Lombok earthquake, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (8/20). (Photo by: Oji/Public Relations).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reiterated that he continued to follow every piece of information related to a series of earthquake that hit the resort island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province, including recent 6.9-magnitude quake on Sunday (8/19) evening.

“I received the information from there last night. I want to arrange time to go to Lombok again in the near future,” President Jokowi told reporters after meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-Yon, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (8/20).

For the record, multiple earthquakes continue to shake the Island, with the biggest one recently occurring on Sunday (19/8) at 11.06 a.m. WIB (Western Indonesian Time) measuring of 6.5, followed by 6.9-magnitude quake nearly twelve hours later on the same day.

Head of the Information Data Center and Public Relations of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho reported that, the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Lombok in Monday (20/8) at 10.45 a.m. killed 10 people, injured 24 people, and damaged 151 houses, and 6 places of worship.

In the meantime, regarding the call from a number of groups to the Government to declare the Lombok earthquake a national disaster, President Jokowi said that he is currently preparing a presidential instruction. However, the President stressed that the most important thing is not to declare it as a national disaster or not.

“The most important thing is the direct relief efforts to the affected areas. The Central Government provides full support and assistance to the provincial government, the district government, and the most important thing, of course, is to the affected residents,” President Jokowi concluded. (DND/OJI/ES) (GWH/EP/Naster)