Hironimus Keeps Selling Outside His Quake-Damaged Home in Tondong Belang

Labuan Bajo — Hironimus Suasa, 56, continues to serve coffee and fruit to passers-by outside his earthquake-damaged home in Tondong Belang village, Mbeliling district, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, shifting his small cafe business outdoors while the house remains unsafe, according to Indonesia’s public broadcaster RRI.

RRI reported that Hironimus runs the Gracio Sunset cafe near a local viewpoint and said selling is his only source of income for daily needs. After the quake damaged his home, he moved most of his equipment and sales activity in front of the house because he was worried about aftershocks affecting the structure.

In the same report, Hironimus said he resumed trading on the third day after the earthquake and has kept the business open despite ongoing uncertainty. He told RRI that he does not have any other job beyond selling coffee, coconut, pineapple and other products to visitors travelling through the area.

“Saya memang tetap bertahan jualan. Hari gempa, hari ketiga itu saya tetap jalan jualannya. Karena saya bisanya kan jualan,” he said in Indonesian, explaining that continuing to trade is the only way he can earn an income.

A separate RRI story from Tondong Belang describes how residents affected by the earthquake, including Hironimus, are building temporary wooden shelters as their houses remain damaged. In that report, he said he has been sleeping for almost a month at a makeshift post made of tarpaulin provided by individuals and the government, and is now constructing a simple emergency house from wood to prepare for the rainy season.

According to RRI, Hironimus expects the temporary wooden house to be finished within around five to seven days and plans to live there with his wife once it is complete. Until then, he continues to sleep in the tarpaulin shelter while running his cafe in front of the damaged home.

Business tied to local tourism

RRI noted that Gracio Sunset serves travellers who stop to rest in Tondong Belang, selling drinks and snacks to people passing through the area. The cafe’s location near a viewpoint means it depends heavily on visitor traffic in West Manggarai’s tourism corridor.

Local tourism has faced several disruptions this year. The Manggarai Barat district government announced a temporary closure of several natural attractions, including Cunca Wulang waterfall, in January 2026 due to warnings of extreme weather from Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG. Officials said the closures, which also covered Gua Rangko and Mberenang Beach, were taken “for the safety and security of tourists and the community” and would be lifted when conditions were declared safe.

Later, in May 2026, police and tourism authorities again closed Cunca Wulang to visitors after two Austrian tourists died in a fall from a suspension bridge at the waterfall. The Manggarai Barat tourism office said the destination would remain shut while safety measures and legal investigations were carried out, with reopening to be determined after an evaluation of security standards.

For small operators like Gracio Sunset, such closures affect the flow of tourists who would normally stop for refreshments on their way to or from nearby attractions. Combined with damage to housing from the earthquake, the interruptions to visitor numbers leave traders like Hironimus relying on whatever local traffic still passes his stall.

Living and working around quake damage

The reports from Tondong Belang highlight how residents are adapting their daily routines while waiting for more permanent reconstruction. Hironimus told RRI he is using materials received through assistance and personal support to build his emergency house, and hopes it will offer more protection once the rainy season sets in.

For now, selling outside his damaged home allows him to keep earning while minimizing the time he spends inside the structure, which he still does not consider safe to occupy. His situation illustrates the broader challenge for household-level businesses in rural tourism areas: balancing immediate income needs with safety concerns and longer-term recovery.

Sources

• RRI – Depan Rumah Rusak akibat Gempa, Hironimus Tetap Bertahan Berjualan
• Detik – Wisata Air Terjun Cunca Wulang Labuan Bajo Ditutup Usai 2 Turis Asing Tewas
• InfoMabar – Antisipasi Dampak Buruk Cuaca Ekstrem, Pemkab Mabar Tutup Sejumlah Obyek Wisata