NTT governor reports aid and field hospitals supporting Flores quake evacuees
East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena told President Prabowo Subianto that logistics and health services for Flores earthquake survivors are being supported by national and local agencies, with field hospitals installed…
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 3 min read
Labuan Bajo — — East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena has told the central government that food and drinking-water assistance is being distributed to residents displaced by the Flores earthquake, supported by national and local agencies, but officials continue to stress the need to reach all evacuation points.
President Prabowo Subianto chaired a limited meeting on 7 September 2026 to review disaster response across Indonesia, including the Flores earthquake, via video conference from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, according to the Cabinet Secretariat and national media reports. Regional leaders from affected areas, including the governor of East Nusa Tenggara, joined the session online.
In the meeting, the head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, said distribution of logistics for Flores earthquake survivors was generally running without major obstacles, with needs monitored from neighbourhood level up to district level and supplied via logistics posts. BNPB reported that more than 2,100 tons of aid had been sent to Flores, with 1,368 tons routed through Labuan Bajo for four districts and 629 tons through Maumere for three districts, before being moved onward to evacuation locations by land transport.
Separately, East Nusa Tenggara authorities have described efforts to prevent uneven aid distribution. In early September, Governor Laka Lena urged that humanitarian assistance must reach all communities in need and not be concentrated in a few shelters, highlighting the importance of detailed data on evacuation sites, population and needs at each location to guide logistics. Provincial officials also sent an initial convoy of 17 trucks of food, water, bedding, medical supplies and other items via Ende for distribution to affected parts of Flores.
Health services supported by field hospitals
During the 7 September meeting, Governor Laka Lena reported that health services for communities affected by the Flores earthquake were being reinforced with field units. According to the Cabinet Secretariat, three hospitals damaged by the quake were being supported by field hospitals deployed by the Ministry of Health to sustain medical services. Officials also stated that basic services including electricity, communications, fuel, clean water, road access, health and education were broadly functioning again in the affected areas.
National and provincial agencies continue to coordinate on the transition from emergency response to recovery. By 7 September, RRI reported that the number of people still in evacuation sites had fallen to 72,864, with the governor saying the region was preparing to move from emergency response into rehabilitation and reconstruction. The government is also supporting temporary education facilities, with President Prabowo approving the provision of nearly 10,000 tents for schools affected by the earthquake in Flores and surrounding areas.
Ongoing focus on coverage and access
Officials have emphasised that ensuring assistance reaches all evacuation locations remains a priority. RRI quoted Governor Laka Lena as saying that aid must be available to every resident who needs it, with particular attention paid to clean water, sanitation and health services in shelters. A separate analysis of logistics access in Flores after the earthquake noted that some evacuation points were harder to reach because of road conditions and other last-mile constraints, underscoring the importance of verified data and scheduled deliveries for each site.
Available official reports indicate large-scale food and water distribution and the deployment of field health facilities for earthquake survivors across Flores. However, they do not provide site-by-site verification of conditions in every shelter, nor detailed public data on remaining gaps in non-food needs such as sanitation, electricity or transport.
Sources
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