Aid for Flores Earthquake Victims Hampered by Extreme Terrain
The distribution of aid for victims of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, has encountered a number of obstacles, particularly in remote areas. These include difficult terrain, damaged roads and landslides.
One of the most extreme stretches of terrain is in Pota Urban Village and several coastal areas of Sambi Rampas District, East Manggarai.
“There are several routes that are difficult for vehicles to pass. There are roads buried under large boulders, and with aftershocks continuing to occur, roads that were initially only slightly covered have been buried again by subsequent landslide material,” said Benyamin Deaniel Asadoma, son of East Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Johni Asadoma, who helped deliver aid, when met in Nagekeo on Sunday (23/8/2026).
East Manggarai is one of the worst-affected areas, with the death toll to date reaching 30 people. According to Dean, as he is known, Palue Island in Sikka Regency has also been severely affected and is difficult to access. Aid has now been distributed there, including through the D’Asadoma Foundation, consisting of basic foodstuffs, blankets, clothing and other essentials.
In addition to road infrastructure, Dean continued, another obstacle is the difficulty of mobile telecommunications networks, which has hampered follow-up communication and the reporting of refugee data to the government, resulting in uneven aid distribution.
“That is what made me go in and out of villages to deliver aid. At the same time, we also established communication with residents about which locations had not yet been reached by aid, so that we could go directly to bring assistance,” Dean explained.
Meanwhile, Nagekeo Deputy Regent Gonzalo Gratianus Muga Sada acknowledged that many donations for his constituents have been arriving in succession from the private sector, foundations and even from abroad.
“We have been greatly helped by what our friends from various private companies, foundations and even from abroad have done. From the very beginning, we have been greatly assisted,” Gonzalo concluded.