'Lombok is in crisis' says Havelock North woman living in Indonesia

Supplies, including 250kg of rice, 50 boxes of water, 15 boxes of noodles, medical supplies, baby formula and eggs ready to be sent up to the north of the island. Photo / Supplied

On July 29 Havelock North woman Olivia Nysse was shaken awake by a powerful earthquake, while asleep on the small Indonesian island of Gili Air.

She jumped out of bed, and took off on a bike up to high ground, worried about the risk of a tsunami, but none came. Twenty people died, and hundreds more were injured in the quake.

But Mother Nature had more in store for the islands of Indonesia. The earthquake had simply been a foreshock for a more powerful one, which hit on August 5, thrusting the island of Lombok 25cm out of the sea and leaving devastation in its wake.

Nysse, who has been practising yoga and diving in Indonesia for seven months, says the island is in desperate need.

"It is a crisis here, we need help."

More than 430 people died in the quake, with 200,000 now homeless and struggling to access basics such as food and water.

One of her friends, Ending, has been living in a forest.

"He has been camped out in a forest with 1500 people from his village with no food and water for five days.

"Most of my friends have lost their homes on Lombok. Entire villages have been wiped out, many friends have lost family members, and are in urgent need of food, water and medical supplies."

Her friends on Lombok were delivering supplies across the island, while Nysse, who is on the neighbouring Bali, helps by raising funds.

"I have been dedicating my time in Bali to raise funds to deliver emergency supplies such as rice, water, eggs, baby formula, medical supplies, tarpaulins and blankets to friends and camps in urgent need."

She plans to head to Lombok on Saturdayto help deliver aid, and her plea to people in New Zealand is to donate to relief efforts.

"I just need to raise awareness of how bad it really is here, we need help, and the funds are going directly to emergency supplies and accommodation."

Donations can be either a bank transfer to 06-0169-0054506-12 or through a GoFundMe account, https://www.gofundme.com/help-needed-for-lombok-earthquake.