{
  "id": 10371779,
  "title": "'Struggling to eat': Survivors suffer after Indonesia quake",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/struggling-to-eat-survivors-suffer-after-indonesia-quake",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T05:01:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/09/28/struggling-to-eat-survivors-suffer-after-indonesia-quake/236847"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nagekeo, Indonesia, September 28 - A week after a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Flores Island, survivors are still grappling with the aftermath. Six weeks to the day, Sahria Lelu and her family remain in a tent outside a mosque, haunted by trauma, underscoring the arduous journey back home for thousands. The quake triggered over 15,000 aftershocks and caused extensive damage to tens of thousands of homes, leaving the water supply in precarious condition.\n\n\"Trauma still prevents us from returning home,\" lamented Sahria, 38, a resident of Nagekeo, one of the worst-affected areas. Despite government promises of guaranteed food and volunteer assistance, the survivors face daily challenges. Maria Onselia, 59, a weaver in Sikka district, revealed that finding buyers for her fabric is difficult, and water scarcity has turned her life upside down. \"We are struggling to eat,\" she said, adding that they must buy water before they can purchase food.\n\nThe Indonesian government has pledged to construct over 2,400 permanent homes to replace the heavily damaged ones, while aiming to provide 314 temporary shelters by late November. Meanwhile, residents on the neighboring island of Palue, which relies on geothermal steam for water, are grappling with a severe water shortage. Methildus Nestor Langga, a teacher, explained that all storage tanks were destroyed, leaving people to buy water or tap into geothermal sources using bamboo poles.\n\nThe economic impact is equally dire for many survivors. Sahria's husband, an auto repair shop owner, lost his livelihood in the quake, forcing her to sell fish to make ends meet. \"Please help us to get back on our feet,\" she appealed. Despite these hardships, recovery remains a distant dream for many. Sahria remains uncertain about how long she must live away from her home, awaiting an assessment of the damage around her village.",
  "summary": "NAGEKEO (Indonesia), Sept 28 — Sahria Lelu and her family were still living in a tent outside a mosque six weeks a...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Survivors suffer after Indonesia quake",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/survivors-suffer-after-indonesia-quake",
        "published": "2026-09-28T04:57:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Jakarta Post",
        "title": "'Struggling to eat': Survivors suffer after NTT quake",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/struggling-to-eat-survivors-suffer-after-ntt-quake",
        "published": "2026-09-28T05:40:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}