A couple who left jobs in New Zealand to build their dream resort on the Gili Islands were left devastated at the destruction caused by the Lombok earthquake, but say it is locals who need help urgently.
Leah Tagaloa and her partner, Jesse Adams, quit their jobs at Jetstar where they had met before travelling around the world while looking for a place to build an idyllic getaway.
The pair, who have been together for seven years, found Gili Trawangan island and started a new life there in November 2016 before opening their hotel, Coco Cabana, in June 2018.
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Despite some speed bumps during construction, they believed they had found paradise and took on local staff to help them run the hotel.
But on August 5, a devastating 6.9 magnitude shake struck Lombok Island 5 about 8pm local time - killing more than 430 people.
Ms Tagaloa had been sitting with a woman who was taking up the manager's role at the resort while Jesse had gone to the pub to play pool.
The ground began to violently shake so she got down from her stool, held her hands over her head and moved to a safer zone.
The 30-year-old said the violent quake was the most frightening experience she had ever been through.
The couple will now chase an insurance claim but it won't replace lost income and they will be unable to fulfil bookings for the next two months.
"We were fully booked in August as it's classed as being one of the busiest months in Gili Trawangan.
"We have to deal with an insurance pay-out so we can fix the damages to the hotel," Ms Tagaloa told Newshub.
"Our resort was some cracks, a lot of our stuff in the rooms smashed and our yoga studio was struck badly.
"Things are getting really tight because of the lack of income and we may have to use credit cards to see us through this period when no tourists will want to return to the island.
"If we cannot make enough money Jesse my boyfriend may have to return to his previous job as a pilot back in New Zealand and we aren't too sure what will happen with our beautiful Coco Cabana at this stage."
Although the hotel suffered severely, many of their workers have lost family, homes and are struggling to access basic necessities, including water.
The couple have launched a Givealittle page to raise money for their employees.
The shake left hundreds of thousands of Gili island residents displaced and the pair, who met while Ms Tagaloa was working as a flight attendant and Mr Adams was a pilot, would like to help as much as possible.
"We thought about making a personal page but our staff members need it much more than us.
"They will use it for food and water and hopefully receive enough to rebuild their homes.
"It's hard to know what to do next and we really hope tourism will return back to normal sooner rather than later, not just for us but for our staff who live in North Lombok because they need work to provide for their families.
Donations will be sent directly to their staff members to help their families rebuild homes and supply them with life's necessities.
Leah said it is truly heart breaking to see their beautiful home in Lombok go through such a tragedy and knows that any help would be truly appreciated.
Newshub.
