Caritas Indonesia sends 180kg of medicine to four Flores dioceses

Labuan Bajo — Caritas Indonesia has coordinated an integrated emergency response across four Catholic dioceses in Flores after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on 15 August 2026, including the shipment of 180 kilograms of medicines and medical supplies, according to Caritas Indonesia’s network and church media reports.

The response involves the Archdiocese of Ende and the dioceses of Maumere, Ruteng and Labuan Bajo, where diocesan Caritas teams have activated humanitarian service posts and deployed trained volunteers.

Caritas Indonesia’s national emergency division and its Core Response Team are facilitating coordination and service management, working with local diocesan structures to share disaster data and channel logistics, medical personnel, volunteers and financial support.

A national logistics hub has been set up near Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya to consolidate relief items before shipment by sea to Flores.

Water, medicine and field services

According to Caritas Indonesia’s communications cited by Pen@ Katolik and other church outlets, the Surabaya logistics post has prepared 100 water tanks with a capacity of 1,200 litres each for use in crowded shelters.

Additional tanks were ordered from producers in Ruteng and Maumere, with supplies planned for delivery to ports including Labuan Bajo, Reo and Maumere.

The medical response features doctors, nurses and pharmacy staff, with additional health workers slated to reinforce services in Ende and Ruteng.

Caritas Maumere has coordinated with the Sikka Health Office and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to provide services at Samador Field, where survivors have gathered.

Reports from the Caritas network describe field clinics reaching affected communities in East Manggarai and other districts.

Documented activities include treatment of 80 patients in Satar Padut village in East Manggarai, 120 patients in Robek village in Reo district, and around 200 affected residents in Bajak.

Across seven service points on 19–20 August, medical teams reached 661 patients with consultations and basic care in evacuation areas.

Common conditions reported by Caritas medical teams include respiratory infections, chronic illnesses among older people, fractures, eye inflammation, puncture wounds and other injuries.

Psychosocial support for children

Alongside medical and water supply operations, Caritas Indonesia and its diocesan partners are organizing psychosocial support activities for children who survived the earthquake.

The programme is described as part of efforts to ensure protection and support in evacuation sites, together with routine health monitoring and services for people with disabilities, children and vulnerable older people.

According to Caritas Indonesia, these activities are being integrated into the wider emergency response across the four dioceses so that child-focused services can continue as access and infrastructure improve.

Caritas Indonesia Executive Director Fr. Fredy Rante Taruk has coordinated with bishops, diocesan directors and volunteer teams during visits to the affected area, emphasizing the need to maintain supplies of medicines and other emergency goods during the recovery period.

Context

The earthquake struck Flores at around 04:58 local time on 15 August 2026, with a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicentre near Mbay in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, according to national and church reports.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported on 27 August that 105 people had died, 1,678 were injured and 179,037 residents had been displaced by the series of quakes affecting Flores.

Earlier BNPB figures carried by local media on 24–25 August cited around 100 deaths, 1,603 injuries and 180,327 displaced people, underscoring that impact assessments were still being updated in the days after the disaster.

BNPB data also indicated that tens of thousands of homes and public facilities were damaged across the island, while seismological authorities recorded thousands of aftershocks in the weeks following the main quake.

Sources

• Pen@ Katolik – Caritas Indonesia Mengintegrasikan Pelayanan Terpadu di Empat Keuskupan Terdampak Gempa Flores
• Gagas Indonesia Satu – Jaringan Caritas Indonesia Kirimkan 180 Kilogram Obat-obatan dan Lakukan Pendampingan Psikososial untuk Anak Penyintas Gempa Flores
• Vatican News (Indonesian) – Caritas Indonesia Bergerak Menanggapi Gempa Bumi di Flores
• LiCAS.news – Indonesian Caritas mobilizes relief across four dioceses after Flores quake
• Tempo – Update Gempa Flores, BNPB: Jumlah Korban Meninggal 14 Orang
• CNBC Indonesia – Update Gempa Flores: 71 Korban Meninggal, 59.647 Orang Pengungsi
• Bisnis.com – BNPB Catat 179.037 Warga Mengungsi, dan 81.436 Rumah Terdampak Akibat Gempa Flores
• RRI – Gempa Flores, 100 Orang meninggal Dunia dan Ratusan Ribu Mengungsi
• Okezone – 7.429 Gempa Susulan Usai Gempa Besar M7,7 Flores, 143 Dirasakan