Tens of Thousands Still Displaced One Month After Flores Earthquake
Indonesian disaster officials say the number of people displaced by the August Flores earthquake has fallen from more than 150,000 to around 46,000, as housing damage is verified and support for heavily affected households is rolled out.
By Mukmin John
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 3 min read
Jakarta — Around one month after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Flores, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) estimates that about 46,000 people in East Nusa Tenggara remain displaced, down from more than 150,000 at the height of the emergency response, according to recent briefings.
BNPB’s acting head for disaster data, information and communication, Berton SP Panjaitan, said in a 15 September online press conference that the number of people in shelters had fallen significantly as emergency operations progressed and some residents began to return home.
Media reports citing his remarks and BNPB data refer to 46,461 people still displaced on 15 September, compared with more than 150,000 earlier in the response.
BNPB has linked the remaining displacement mainly to households whose homes suffered heavy damage and are not yet safe to occupy.
Displacement figures and housing damage
Several Indonesian outlets reporting on BNPB’s 15 September briefing state that the number of people who remained in displacement sites or other temporary shelter that day was 46,461, down from more than 150,000 at the peak.
Other reports citing the same briefing give a slightly lower figure of 46,046 displaced people, indicating a small discrepancy in published numbers but confirming the overall scale of continuing displacement.
Earlier in September, BNPB head Suharyanto told a separate press event that 72,864 people were still displaced as of 7 September.
He explained that these remaining displaced residents were largely those whose houses had been classified as severely damaged, with authorities preparing temporary housing or providing a waiting-for-housing allowance for them.
In that update, BNPB also reported 2,142 tonnes of relief logistics delivered to affected areas, with officials saying the overall level of distribution had reached more than 98 percent of planned targets.
BNPB reported nearly 99,000 damaged homes across the affected districts in early September, and local media have since cited a higher figure of more than 103,000 housing units undergoing verification for levels of damage.
Government support for damaged housing
Under the government’s assistance scheme for earthquake-affected housing, residents whose homes are classified as lightly damaged are eligible for Rp15 million in aid, while those with moderately damaged homes can receive Rp30 million.
For houses assessed as severely damaged, authorities have announced plans to build temporary accommodation or provide a waiting-for-housing allowance before constructing new type-36 permanent houses for affected families.
Officials have said that this support is intended to ensure that residents do not return to unsafe structures while reconstruction is under way.
Aftershocks and safety considerations
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has reported intense seismic activity following the main shock.
By 15 September, or 30 days after the 15 August earthquake, BMKG data showed 15,722 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 0.9 to 6.2, with 190 events felt by residents.
BMKG officials said the frequency of aftershocks had entered a declining phase, with daily and weekly counts trending lower over time.
They urged residents and local authorities to remain cautious, emphasising that decisions about returning to damaged homes should take into account verified structural conditions, the state of surrounding infrastructure and ongoing seismic activity.
As national and local agencies continue to re-verify damage data and distribute assistance, the official figures indicate both a sharp reduction in the number of displaced people since the peak of the emergency and a substantial group of residents who remain away from their homes while longer-term housing solutions are prepared.
Sources
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