Indonesia strengthens NTT quake response on Independence Day

Thousands of people remain in need of aid on the Indonesian island of Flores as the nation observed its 81st Independence Day on Monday, following a devastating earthquake that claimed at least 54 lives, injured dozens, and destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings. The quake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday, causing over 1,300 homes to be damaged, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone.

Approximately 5,000 residents were relocated to temporary shelters, with 135 injured, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The governor of the affected province declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday. The earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, prompted tsunami warnings that were later canceled.

Since the disaster, authorities have documented at least 995 aftershocks, of which only 46 were felt by residents.

Survivors on Flores have been camping outside collapsed homes under tarpaulin tents overnight into Monday, sleeping outside due to the risk of additional aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey reported widespread devastation across the island, featuring fallen trees obstructing roads, boulders displaced by landslides, and homes left shattered or severely damaged. Parked vehicles were crushed when buildings collapsed during the quake.

The region's residents are experiencing a painful reminder of a similar disaster in 1992, when a powerful earthquake and tsunami killed around 2,500 people on Flores. Many are urgently seeking food, medicine, and clean water, as more than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone, accompanied by 275 tons of aid. However, logistical issues have hindered the delivery of supplies to certain severely impacted communities.

While some relief has reached the affected areas, survivors claim they still require equipment to prepare meals. Villager Mariana Tewu lamented, "We have nothing left ... Why isn't there a public kitchen?" Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped arc of seismic faults and volcanoes.

In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on the island of Sulawesi claimed over 4,400 lives. In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra unleashed a tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people in a dozen countries, with nearly 170,000 fatalities in Aceh province alone.