BNPB: Flores earthquake logistics reach 98.39% of target

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reports that logistics distribution following the magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Flores and wider Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) has reached about 98 percent of the planned target, while verification of housing damage continues to shape longer-term recovery assistance decisions.

BNPB head Suharyanto presented the logistics update in early September 2026 during a briefing to President Prabowo Subianto on four ongoing disasters, including the Flores earthquake, according to several Indonesian media reports citing BNPB data. He said relief logistics for the earthquake response had reached 2,142 tonnes, with a distribution rate of 98.39 percent of the target, using 115 aircraft sorties and two sea-freight vessels.

The earthquake, which struck off the northern coast of Flores in August 2026, caused extensive damage to housing and public infrastructure across several districts in NTT. BNPB data cited by national media outlets indicate that around 98,986 houses have been recorded as damaged, across categories of heavy, moderate and light damage. Separate reporting notes damage to hundreds of schools, health facilities and offices, though these figures continue to be refined as field verification progresses.

BNPB and local governments are still verifying and validating the status of each affected home before final assistance decisions are made. According to BNPB figures reported by Indonesian media, the agency initially worked from a broader dataset of 102,384 houses in seven affected districts and had verified 51,591 of them by early September. Subsequent updates suggested that verification and validation had reached around 70 percent of the recorded damaged houses, although final tallies for each damage category were still being confirmed.

How damage categories affect assistance

BNPB applies a tiered assistance system based on the verified level of damage to each home, as in previous major earthquakes in Indonesia. National outlets summarising BNPB policy report that households with light damage typically receive repair support of about Rp15 million, those with moderate damage around Rp30 million, and those with heavy damage may be assisted with reconstruction of a new modest house, often referred to as a type-36 unit.

The classification assigned to each house therefore directly determines whether a family receives cash repair assistance or support for rebuilding.

BNPB officials have stressed that careful verification is intended to ensure that assistance reaches eligible residents and that public funds are used according to damage severity and national standards. That process is a key bridge between the emergency phase—focused on evacuations, shelters and basic supplies—and the longer recovery stage of repairing and rebuilding homes.

Shifting logistics from national air hub to warehouse distribution

BNPB has also adjusted how incoming relief supplies are managed. By early September, the national logistics support post at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, which had served as a central hub for donations and government-supplied goods, was closed, with subsequent assistance redirected to BNPB’s logistics and equipment warehouse in Jatiasih, Bekasi. Media reports quoting BNPB note that the switch took effect on Monday, 7 September 2026, marking a move away from an airlift-focused system toward warehouse-based distribution.

According to BNPB data cited in Indonesian coverage, total aid that entered the Halim national logistics post by 6 September amounted to roughly 2,177 tonnes, of which about 2,142 tonnes—or 98.39 percent—had been dispatched to NTT. Deliveries were carried out through hundreds of flights and multiple ship voyages, supplemented by trucking from ports. In later statements, BNPB also highlighted that logistics were being routed through key entry points in Labuan Bajo and Maumere to serve affected districts more directly.

As of BNPB’s early September updates, national and local authorities reported that electricity and telecommunications had largely been restored in affected areas, and that the number of displaced people was gradually decreasing as aftershocks eased and more residents returned home. The agency and NTT provincial government continue to combine logistics deliveries, infrastructure repairs and housing verification as they move from emergency response to a longer-term recovery programme across Flores and neighbouring islands.

Sources

• Liputan6 – BNPB Lapor Presiden, Masih Ada 72.864 Orang Pengungsi Gempa NTT
• Metro TV News – BNPB Alihkan Penerimaan Bantuan Penanganan Gempa NTT ke Gudang Jatiasih Bekasi
• Tirto.id – Update Penanganan Bencana Erupsi Anak Krakatau hingga Gempa NTT
• Tribunnews – Usai Lapor Presiden soal Perkembangan Penanganan 4 Bencana, BNPB Kini Fokus Percepatan Pemulihan
• Internationalmedia.co.id – Prabowo Terima Laporan Penting Ini Fokus Penanganan Bencana Nasional
• Apaberita – FLORES — BNPB Salurkan Bantuan Rekonstruksi 98.986 Rumah Rusak Gempa
• DetikNews – Update Korban Gempa NTT: 135 Orang Meninggal Dunia
• Merdeka – Gempa Susulan NTT Tembus 14 Ribu
• Periskop.id – Update: Korban Gempa NTT Jadi 136 Jiwa, Verifikasi Rumah Rusak Capai 70%
• Media Indonesia – Tanggap Darurat Gempa di Flores Berakhir, Kini Masuk Pemulihan
• Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia – Gempa bumi Flores 2026
• RRI – Menata Kembali Kehidupan Pascagempa NTT