Flores districts begin recovery as 7.7 quake emergency phase winds down

Labuan Bajo — Key areas of Flores have begun shifting from emergency response to recovery following the magnitude-7.7 earthquake of 15 August 2026, as several districts formally ended their extended emergency status on Saturday, 12 September 2026 and search-and-rescue operations were closed the same day according to provincial authorities and Basarnas.

The quake struck off the north coast of Flores at 04:58 local time on 15 August, triggering strong shaking across Nusa Tenggara Timur and a brief tsunami warning, according to national disaster and meteorological agencies and local media reports.

Provincial government statements and Basarnas reports say the emergency period for the NTT-wide response was extended from 29 August to 12 September 2026, with districts allowed to adjust their own timelines based on local conditions.

Officials in Sikka and West Manggarai ended their emergency status on 12 September and entered a 30-day transition from emergency to recovery, while other districts including Ngada, Nagekeo and East Manggarai continued emergency measures beyond that date, according to provincial and local briefings.

End of structured search and rescue

The end of emergency status in parts of Flores did not signal the end of disaster management.

Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency, formally closed its structured operation for the Flores earthquake at 18:00 WITA on 12 September, following 29 days of missions across affected districts, according to Basarnas accounts carried by national and regional broadcasters.

Basarnas officials said the closure marked the end of organized search-and-rescue activities under the emergency phase, while broader support and recovery work for residents would continue under the coordination of the provincial government and BNPB.

Casualties and damage

BNPB, the National Disaster Management Agency, reported at least 136 deaths linked to the earthquake and its impacts as of 10 September, with 48 people recorded as dying directly from the quake and 88 classified as indirect deaths after receiving medical treatment or in the aftermath, according to briefings cited by several national outlets.

Some later BNPB presentations mentioned 142 deaths, including 94 people who died in displacement sites, and an updated tally of more than 100,000 damaged homes, indicating that casualty and damage figures remained under review as verification progressed.

Earlier updates from BNPB in late August had recorded at least 105 deaths, 1,678 injuries, more than 179,000 displaced people and over 80,000 damaged homes, showing the scale of impact on housing and public facilities across Flores.

Across the seven most-affected districts — West Manggarai, Manggarai, East Manggarai, Nagekeo, Ngada, Ende and Sikka — provincial officials reported damage to homes, schools, health facilities, markets and infrastructure, with detailed verification of structural conditions still under way.

Transition to recovery

During the emergency phase, authorities focused on life-saving operations, evacuation, medical care, logistics and other immediate needs.

In early September, President Prabowo Subianto chaired a meeting to review the Flores response and monitor the planned shift towards rehabilitation and reconstruction, according to the Cabinet Secretariat and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

BNPB chief Suharyanto told the president that core services such as electricity, communications, fuel supply, clean water, roads, health care and education were generally functioning again, and that residents with lightly or moderately damaged homes had begun returning, as reported by BPKP.

Government statements said verification of housing damage was a prerequisite for rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes and that funding had been made available to support provincial recovery planning, including temporary housing and economic measures.

Provincial authorities also reported consultations with financial regulators and other stakeholders on easing credit obligations for affected borrowers and on preparing broader economic recovery in agriculture, trade and services.

Schools, health care and daily life

The recovery effort extends beyond physical rebuilding.

BPKP’s account of the president’s September meeting said that despite damage to health facilities, core health services remained operational with support from field hospitals deployed by the Ministry of Health.

Officials also highlighted the need to support health workers and volunteers affected by the disaster themselves, including through psychosocial services.

For education, the president called for the gradual resumption of teaching activities, prioritising safety checks and temporary learning spaces where school buildings were damaged, according to central government communications.

By early September, limited classes had resumed in some areas, especially for final-year students, with local authorities seeking tents and equipment to expand temporary classrooms, according to provincial briefings.

Officials said the transition period would be used to match verified data on damage with assistance and reconstruction, and to ensure that markets and community activities could restart safely even as repairs continued.

Sources

• RRI Ende – "Basarnas Tutup Operasi SAR Gempa Flores setelah 29 Hari"
• IDN Times NTB – "Basarnas Resmi Tutup Operasi SAR Gempa Flores Magnitudo 7,7"
• Biro Administrasi Pimpinan Setda Provinsi NTT – emergency status update
• Metrotvnews – "Update Gempa NTT: 136 Meninggal, 102.384 Rumah Rusak"
• Republika – "Gempa Bumi Flores, 94 Orang Meninggal di Pengungsian"
• Bisnis.com – "BNPB Catat 179.037 Warga Mengungsi, dan 81.436 Rumah Terdampak Akibat Gempa Flores"
• Sekretariat Kabinet RI – "Presiden Prabowo Pastikan Penanganan Bencana Berjalan, Pemulihan Masyarakat Terus Dipercepat"
• BPKP – "Presiden Prabowo Pantau Pemulihan Flores, Sekolah, Pasar hingga Aktivitas Warga Berangsur Normal"
• The Jakarta Post – "At least two dead in magnitude 7.7 quake in NTT"
• Media Indonesia – "Tanggap Darurat Gempa di Flores Berakhir, Kini MasukPemulihan"