The magnitude M7.1 earthquake located in the Molucca Sea yesterday reminded us of the hazards faced by the Indonesians on a daily basis. Fortunately, at a depth of 46 km, it seems it caused little damage. The closest large city was Mandano which experienced earthquake shaking at about MMIV according to the USGS.

The StIRRRD team was en-route to Jakarta when it occurred,

but early in the week we had been closer to the epicentre at Palu and Donggala in Sulawesi Tengah, where we met with local government friends and started our project. Both districts are vulnerable to the effects of large earthquakes. In the later part of the week we were in Mataram on Lombok, meeting the local government DRM staff. We went to Medana Gol village in Lombok North, which was significantly affected by a local small earthquake (M5.1) in 2013. It just goes to show that it doesn’t have to be a big event to have a significant impact on a community.