Thousands of people on Indonesia’s Flores Island remained in urgent need of assistance on Monday, even as the nation observed its 81st Independence Day. The celebration was overshadowed by a powerful earthquake that struck on Saturday, killing at least 54 people, injuring 135, and devastating hundreds of homes and other structures.
Many residents spent the anniversary mourning victims, searching for missing loved ones, and waiting for vital aid to reach communities still cut off by the disaster. More than 1,300 homes sustained damage, with nearly 250 completely destroyed on Flores alone. The National Disaster Management Agency reported that approximately 5,000 people were displaced and are now living in temporary shelters.
The governor of East Nusa Tenggara province declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred at a depth of approximately 6 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents fled in panic as tsunami warnings were issued, though they were later lifted. Since the initial tremor, authorities have recorded at least 995 aftershocks, though only 46 have been felt by residents.
Thousands of people on Flores spent nights camping outside their collapsed homes, using tarpaulin tents due to the ongoing risk of aftershocks. An Associated Press photojournalist observed widespread destruction, including fallen trees blocking roads, landslides sending boulders down hillsides, and homes reduced to rubble or severely damaged. Parked vehicles were crushed by collapsing buildings.
The disaster has evoked painful memories for many residents, recalling the devastating 1992 earthquake and tsunami that struck Flores, resulting in approximately 2,500 fatalities.
"My house is just rubble now. We need food, medicine and clean water urgently," said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader in the village of Reo, identified as the hardest-hit area in Manggarai regency.
While more than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone and 275 tons of aid have been sent, logistical challenges have hindered the timely delivery of supplies to some of the most severely affected communities. Survivors report a critical lack of cooking equipment. "We have nothing left... Why isn’t there a public kitchen?" asked Mariana Tewu, another villager in Reo.
Indonesia, an extensive archipelago comprising over 17,000 islands, is particularly vulnerable to seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire." This region is characterized by a horseshoe-shaped arc of seismic faults and volcanoes. Historically, the nation has experienced catastrophic events, including a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 2018 that triggered a tsunami on Sulawesi island, killing over 4,400 people, and the devastating 2004 magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra, which generated a tsunami that claimed roughly 230,000 lives across a dozen countries.