Governor: Economic recovery for earthquake victims must be accelerated
Kupang (ANTARA) - The Governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Melki Laka Lena, has asserted that the economic recovery of communities affected by the Flores earthquake must proceed in tandem with rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to ensure residents can promptly resume activities and secure sources of income.
“Economic recovery must run alongside the rehabilitation and reconstruction process. Affected communities must be able to return to their activities and have sources of income immediately,” he stated during a coordination meeting with the West Manggarai Regency Government in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, on Friday.
Melki noted that post-disaster recovery should not focus solely on repairing infrastructure and housing, but must also ensure that affected economic sectors can become operational again.
In the agricultural sector, the NTT Provincial Government is pushing for accelerated recovery through the provision of assistance including rice, maize, and horticultural seeds, agricultural production facilities, and post-harvest tools. The repair of irrigation networks is also a priority to support the resumption of production activities.
In the marine and fisheries sector, data on affected fishermen will be synchronised with regency governments to serve as the basis for the distribution of aid and recovery interventions.
For affected MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), the NTT Provincial Government is coordinating with Bank Indonesia, the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and the banking sector to encourage financing relaxation and the distribution of People’s Business Credit (KUR) with concessions.
The NTT Provincial Government is also providing a 75 per cent reduction in Motor Vehicle Tax for earthquake-affected areas and a 50 per cent reduction for other areas, accompanied by a waiver of late payment fines.
The Deputy Regent of West Manggarai, Yulianus Weng, stated that the emergency response period for the earthquake in the region ended on Friday (11/09/2026). During the emergency period, the local government focused its efforts on meeting community needs and documenting the extent of the damage.
He added that the local government optimised official vehicles from regional apparatus organisations to accelerate the distribution of logistics to the community during the emergency phase.
Sub-district, village, and neighbourhood governments were also involved in reporting the progress regarding the number of affected houses and casualties.
He explained that to ensure the validity of housing damage data, the local government involved agricultural extension officers and family planning extension officers, supported by teams from the Department of Works, Spatial Planning, and Housing.
“Regarding the Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan (R3P), the West Manggarai Regency Government has gathered various proposals for needs to be included in the planning document and subsequently forwarded to the central government,” said Yulianus.
He expressed his appreciation to Governor Melki Laka Lena and the NTT Provincial Government for their guidance, support, and encouragement in handling the earthquake’s impact in West Manggarai.
“Our thanks go to the Governor for his guidance, encouragement, and support to West Manggarai in handling this disaster,” he said.
As is known, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded that as of 17 August 2026, at 11:00 WIB, 1,624 aftershocks had occurred with magnitudes ranging from M1.3 to M6.2. Among these thousands of aftershocks, there were 23 events with a magnitude of M>5, and 59 aftershocks were felt.
The initial earthquake occurred in the Flores region on Saturday, 15 August 2026, at 04:58 WIB, with an updated magnitude of M7.7, which triggered a tsunami in the surrounding areas. This shallow earthquake was caused by tectonic activity in the Flores Back-Arc with a thrust fault mechanism.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded that the accumulated death toll from the earthquake tremors in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) reached 136 people, 88 of whom died indirectly or after receiving medical treatment.
The Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Centre, Berton SP Panjaitan, explained that the earthquake tremors also caused massive physical damage, with a total of 102,384 residential units affected, categorised as heavy, moderate, or light damage.
To support the livelihood needs of residents in displacement camps, the BNPB has distributed emergency logistics aid totalling 2,178 tonnes, distributed through two main posts in the NTT region.
The distribution of logistics is split between two main distribution hubs: 1,379 tonnes centred at the post in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, and 664 tonnes distributed through the Maumere area in Sikka Regency.