NTT Police Chief Inspects Quake-Damaged Manggarai Barat Police Housing

Labuan Bajo — The East Nusa Tenggara regional police chief has inspected the Manggarai Barat police apartment complex in Labuan Bajo that was damaged in the 15 August 2026 Flores earthquake, with officers and their families still living in tents in front of the building at the time of the visit, according to local and police-affiliated reports.

Regional outlet VoxNTT reports that the NTT police chief, Inspector General Rudi Darmoko, visited the Manggarai Barat police dormitory on Thursday, 27 August 2026, to check the condition of the building after it was damaged in the quake that struck Flores on 15 August. MediaIndonesia, citing police information, describes the same visit and notes that officers and their families had put up temporary tents in the yard because they were worried about cracks in the structure up to the third floor.

In its coverage, VoxNTT identifies the facility as the Manggarai Barat police apartment building and states that the inspection was carried out following instructions from the national police chief. MediaIndonesia adds that the NTT police chief was accompanied by the deputy NTT police chief, the Manggarai Barat police chief Christian Kadang and several senior officers during the inspection in Labuan Bajo.

Both reports attribute to Darmoko a statement that police officers helping earthquake victims are themselves victims whose families have had to take shelter in front of the damaged housing.

Damage to police housing and displacement

MediaIndonesia reports that the Manggarai Barat police apartment building suffered structural cracking up to the third floor, prompting residents to leave the units and camp in tents as a precaution. VoxNTT similarly notes that personnel and their families were still living in tents in front of the dormitory when the regional police chief arrived, choosing not to return to their apartments because of concerns over the building’s condition.

While detailed engineering assessments are not provided in the two reports, MediaIndonesia cites preliminary NTT police data that the Flores earthquake damaged 54 police apartment and barracks units across the region, with 42 classified as lightly damaged and 12 as severely damaged. The same report states that nine police sector offices were affected, including one heavily damaged building, and four police sub-sector or post facilities, of which one was heavily damaged.

The NTT police public-relations site and other police-affiliated outlets corroborate that the 15 August quake caused extensive damage to police housing and public facilities in Manggarai and Manggarai Barat, and that officers have been involved in supporting displaced residents while also dealing with damage to their own homes and workplaces.

Official response and next steps

During his visit to the Manggarai Barat police apartments, the NTT police chief said he wanted to personally verify the condition of officers’ housing and ensure that police personnel affected by the disaster received attention alongside the wider community, according to statements reported by VoxNTT and MediaIndonesia. He also emphasised the need to safeguard areas where residents had left damaged homes to take shelter elsewhere, including around the police housing complex.

Police-affiliated reports describe a broader post-earthquake response in Manggarai and Manggarai Barat, including increased patrols, assistance with clearing debris from damaged homes, and distribution of building materials, food supplies and blankets to affected communities. In Manggarai, the NTT police chief later delivered financial assistance from the national police chief to officers whose private homes were damaged and inspected several police facilities hit by the quake.

As of late August, available reports confirm that the Manggarai Barat police apartment building in Labuan Bajo remained damaged and that residents were still using tents outside as temporary accommodation. The coverage reviewed does not detail a specific reconstruction timetable or name the contractors or budget allocations that will be used to repair the dormitory, but it indicates that the regional police leadership has taken direct interest in the condition of police housing and other facilities affected by the 15 August earthquake.

Sources

• VoxNTT
• MediaIndonesia
• IKAGAWANEWS
• Okebajo