Rumah Zakat sends fishing gear to earthquake-hit hamlet in Manggarai

Manggarai — — Rumah Zakat and SD Islam As Salam have distributed 10 fishing-equipment packages to earthquake survivors in Nangarema hamlet, Paralando village, Reo district, Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday, 11 September 2026, according to a statement on Rumah Zakat’s website. The assistance comprised five packages of nets or seine gear and five packages of fishing equipment aimed at helping fishers resume their livelihoods after recent earthquakes.

Rumah Zakat said the support targeted fishers whose work at sea had been disrupted because their equipment was damaged or lost in the series of quakes affecting Manggarai and surrounding areas. The organisation described the packages as part of longer-term livelihood recovery, intended to help families gradually restart economic activities rather than serving only as immediate emergency relief.

The organisation reported that reaching Nangarema required volunteers to travel through challenging terrain in Reo district. Six volunteers from Rumah Zakat took part in the delivery, which the organisation said demanded additional time, effort and preparation to reach the coastal hamlet.

According to Rumah Zakat, residents of Nangarema had relied heavily on fishing to meet household needs before the earthquakes. Damage and loss of gear forced some fishers to delay returning to sea while they sought ways to repair boats and replace equipment, prompting the joint initiative with SD Islam As Salam.

The aid package consisted of:

• Five fishing-net or seine packages
• Five fishing-equipment packages
• Six Rumah Zakat volunteers involved in delivery

Earthquake context in Manggarai

The distribution followed a sequence of earthquakes that affected parts of Manggarai and nearby districts in early September 2026. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported a tectonic earthquake with updated magnitude 5.1 at a depth of 10 kilometres off the coast northeast of Ruteng, Manggarai, on 8 September 2026. BMKG located the epicentre at sea about 57 kilometres northeast of Ruteng, with shaking intensity reaching IV on the Modified Mercalli scale in Lamba Leda in East Manggarai as well as Reok and West Reok in Manggarai.

BMKG said the earthquake did not have tsunami potential, based on modelling results published after the event. National and local media citing BMKG reported that residents in Reo and surrounding areas felt the quake strongly enough to seek safety away from damaged buildings.

Local authorities subsequently extended the emergency response status in Manggarai. The Manggarai district government prolonged its emergency phase for the second time, from 15 to 28 September 2026, after earlier quakes caused fatalities and damage in several areas, with casualties concentrated in Reo subdistrict.

Livelihood recovery in Nangarema

In its account of the Nangarema distribution, Rumah Zakat said the fishing packages were intended as practical support for restarting family economic activity after the disaster. The organisation highlighted nets and fishing gear as tools to enable fishers to return to sea and restore household income that had been disrupted by the earthquakes.

A recipient quoted by Rumah Zakat, whose name was not provided, said much of the community’s equipment had been damaged or lost and expressed gratitude that the assistance would help families begin working again and meet daily needs. The statement did not specify how many households or individual fishers directly received the 10 packages, nor did it detail the monetary value of the equipment or the condition of boats used by local fishers.

Rumah Zakat’s report on Nangarema formed part of a broader series of post-earthquake interventions in Manggarai and neighbouring districts. The organisation and partner institutions also reported delivering shelter kits, hygiene kits and other basic supplies in different affected locations in Manggarai and East Manggarai during August and September 2026.

The fishing-equipment distribution in Nangarema, carried out on 11 September 2026, was presented by Rumah Zakat as an early livelihood-recovery effort responding to the specific needs of coastal communities whose incomes depend on fishing.

Sources

• Rumah Zakat – Salurkan Perlengkapan Nelayan untuk Penyintas Gempa NTT
• BMKG – Gempa Bumi M5,2 – 60 km BaratLaut MANGGARAITIMUR-NTT (update M5,1)
• Tempo.co – Gempa M5,1 Guncang Ruteng, Masih Susulan M7,7 Flores
• Detik – Pemkab Manggarai NTT Perpanjang Status Tanggap Darurat hingga 28 September