Flores Residents to Be Involved in Post-Earthquake Facility Reconstruction

The government has confirmed that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of public facilities damaged by the earthquake on Flores Island will involve local communities. The involvement of residents is intended to ensure that the recovery of public facilities also restores sources of income for affected communities.

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo conveyed this during an inspection of several public facilities and places of worship in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (28/8/2026). Dody inspected the St Peter and Paul Church in Dampek and the Nurul Huda Mosque in Reo. The government is conducting data collection and assessments to determine the appropriate handling for each building based on its level of damage.

“If we rebuild a structure, local wisdom must be preserved wherever we are. So we must coordinate with those who use or manage the building,” Dody said in a written statement in Jakarta on Friday (28/8/2026).

Dody said buildings with repairable damage will be handled through rehabilitation. Meanwhile, heavily damaged buildings will be rebuilt with stronger construction suited to earthquake-prone conditions. The data collection and assessments are being carried out by the Public Works Ministry through relevant technical units, including the Directorate General of Human Settlements and the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure.

“There is a mosque here, and it was severely damaged, so it must be completely demolished. The church in Dampek is the same,” Dody said.

Dody requested that the reconstruction of places of worship be carried out in coordination with the parties managing the buildings. For the St Peter and Paul Church in Dampek, coordination is being conducted with the priest, parish council, and the Diocese of Ruteng. “For a church, we coordinate with the priest. Local wisdom must not be lost,” he stressed.

According to Dody, the application of local wisdom must go hand in hand with meeting safety standards. Facilities that are repaired or rebuilt must be resilient to potential earthquakes. “The buildings must be strengthened because this is an earthquake-prone area. So the buildings must be able to adapt to their natural conditions,” Dody said.

Beyond the construction aspect, Dody requested that local communities be involved in the rehabilitation and reconstruction process. He said community involvement can help maintain residents’ incomes during the recovery process. “It is mandatory to involve local communities, so that they do not lose their livelihoods. They can regain their livelihoods by participating in all rehab-recon processes in the most affected areas,” Dody said.

This approach aligns with the build back better principle, namely rebuilding disaster-affected facilities with better quality and safety standards. As of 26 August, the Directorate General of Human Settlements had conducted rapid assessments of 66 locations in eight earthquake-affected regencies in East Nusa Tenggara, namely West Manggarai, Manggarai, East Manggarai, Ngada, Nagekeo, Ende, Sikka, and East Flores.

Of these 66 locations, 350 buildings have been assessed. The results showed that 229 buildings can be reused, 49 buildings can be used on a limited basis, and 21 buildings were declared unsafe for use. The assessments prioritised facilities directly related to basic public services, such as hospitals and health facilities, government offices, places of worship, and other public facilities affected by the earthquake.

With community involvement in the rehab-recon process, post-earthquake recovery not only targets damaged facilities but also helps affected residents retain employment opportunities during the construction process.