Families in Flores Dioceses Still Sleeping in Tents After NTT Quake

Labuan Bajo — Families in the Catholic dioceses of Ende, Ruteng, Maumere and Labuan Bajo in Flores are still sleeping outside in emergency tents weeks after a powerful earthquake struck Nusa Tenggara Timur, according to Caritas Indonesia and local media reports. The church-based aid network is coordinating national logistics from Surabaya to supply shelter materials, water and basic goods to communities that remain anxious about continuing aftershocks.

The situation follows a major offshore quake that the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) updated to magnitude 7.0 on 15 August 2026, felt at intensity IV–V on the Modified Mercalli scale in Ruteng, Ende, Labuan Bajo and Maumere. A strong aftershock of magnitude 6.2 later shook parts of NTT, again felt in the same towns. National disaster authorities and media have reported tens of thousands of damaged houses and more than 180,000 people displaced across the province.

Caritas logistics hub in Surabaya

According to Surabaya-based broadcaster Super Radio, Caritas Indonesia is operating a national logistics post in the Perak area of Surabaya to support quake survivors in NTT. The post is led by Father Markus Marcelinus Hardo CM, head of Caritas in the Archdiocese of Surabaya, who said the team began working in mid-August and aims to continue until the end of September 2026.

Hardo told the outlet that the logistics post prioritises supplies such as water tanks, tarpaulins, tents, blankets, staple foods and medicines for communities in the dioceses of Ende, Ruteng, Maumere and Labuan Bajo. Caritas Indonesia has integrated its emergency services across the four dioceses, combining logistics, funding, volunteers, medical staff and data sharing under a “One Church, One Response” approach, according to a separate statement from the Catholic news site Pena Katolik.

Super Radio reported that the Surabaya post recently dispatched two fully loaded trucks of aid via sea and land routes to NTT, with instructions to proceed directly to diocesan posts and tented evacuation sites. The broadcaster did not specify departure or arrival dates or the quantities of each item sent.

Families still choosing tents

Hardo said many residents in the four dioceses “still experience fear and choose to sleep outside their homes by setting up emergency tents,” describing continuing trauma linked to aftershocks. Local Catholic outlets have similarly reported tented care facilities at Ruteng’s public hospital and at multiple evacuation points in Manggarai and other districts, where Caritas has organised shelter, food distribution and psychosocial activities for children.

Reporting by Pena Katolik and Vatican News Indonesia indicates that Caritas teams have set up emergency tents at Ruteng General Hospital to house evacuated patients and maintain treatment in safer conditions while the risk of structural damage is assessed. Caritas staff and religious sisters are providing psychosocial support and trauma healing, particularly for children living in temporary shelters.

Neither Caritas Indonesia nor the media reports cited have yet provided consolidated figures on how many families across the four dioceses are still sleeping outdoors, or detailed engineering assessments of damaged housing stock. National disaster agency summaries point to extensive housing damage province-wide, but do not break down how many of those affected remain in tents in each diocese.

Priority needs and volunteer work

Super Radio reported that the Surabaya logistics post is applying strict controls to donations, declining used clothing while accepting items considered urgent in the field, to avoid overloading transport and storage with lower-priority goods. Volunteers from Surabaya and other cities are working in shifts at the post, continuing into the evening after their regular jobs, according to the same report.

Pena Katolik added that Caritas Indonesia has mobilised a national medical team and delivered around 180 kilograms of medicines and medical equipment to Flores, alongside basic relief items and hygiene kits distributed through parish posts and evacuation centres. Psychosocial services have reached hundreds of residents at several tented sites in the Ruteng diocese.

Caritas Indonesia says its goal is to complete aid distribution to people affected by the Flores quake during the current emergency phase, while maintaining coordinated support across Ende, Ruteng, Maumere and Labuan Bajo. For families still choosing to sleep under canvas, the organisation is focusing on shelter materials, clean water, food and medical care, while religious staff and volunteers work to address trauma linked to weeks of seismic unrest.

Sources

• Super Radio
• Pena Katolik
• Vatican News Indonesia
• Seputar Cibubur (Pikiran Rakyat network)
• Detikcom
• RRI (Radio Republik Indonesia)