In the Face of Real Disaster

Montong Ajan, a village in Central Lombok, is surrounded on three sides by mountains and to the south by the Indian Ocean. While this location makes for spectacular views, its community constantly lives with the risk of flooding, landslides and tsunamis.

On Saturday September 24th 2016, one such disaster struck when a flash flood hit. Heavy rain fell for almost four hours, bringing huge streams of water racing down the hillsides that saturated the soil and burst the banks of the river that passes through the village. Three houses were hit immediately, with the flood waters quickly spreading to 48 more homes.

The tragedy naturally brought many stories of fear and loss, but it also brought with it testimonies of bravery and compassion as people readily assisted their fellow neighbors who were evacuated into their homes that were situated on higher ground. Read more here.