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Aisyah Llewellyn

Carolus Winfridus was asleep when an earthquake struck off Indonesia’s island of Flores, as he was awoken by intense rumbling and saw his wardrobe doors flying open.
He and his family quickly scrambled for a way out of their house in the town of Maumere, Sikka regency, one of nine regencies hit by Saturday’s devastating 7.7-magnitude quake that killed almost 80 people and displaced nearly 100,000.
Survivors and officials describe how blocked roads, power cuts and relentless aftershocks have complicated relief efforts in remote parts of Flores in one of Indonesia’s most earthquake-prone regions.
Winfridus, who works for a local non-governmental organisation, described his panic when the quake struck at 6.45am local time.
“I felt a massive jolt and my clothes went everywhere,” said Winfridus. “Because it was still early in the morning, the front door of my house was still locked. In the melee, no one could find the key, which had been on a table and knocked to the floor by the rattling.”
Terrified of a collapse, Winfridus and his family escaped by jumping through an open window and gathered in front of the house as the shaking abated, which he said seemed to last much longer than previous quakes that he had experienced.
“Usually, the tremors only last a short time, but it felt like everything was shaking for at least five minutes,” he said.
“It was so strong it gave me a headache. It seemed as if all day after that there were aftershocks.”


Abdul Muhari, deputy for prevention at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said there had been 4,256 aftershocks since the quake and that 78 people had died, citing the latest official figures.
More than 900 people were injured, while 95,871 people remained displaced as of Friday morning, he added.
Koko Suwandi, a civil servant in the village of Riung in Ngada regency, one of the worst affected areas, said power was unavailable for 24 hours after the earthquake and that residents were camping in front of their homes, setting up tents from tarpaulins and other materials they had at hand.
“In the hours following the quake, there was no immediate disaster response, so residents set up a response post and went around checking on each other.”
While waiting for the authorities to arrive, Suwandi said residents collected groceries, drinking water, tents, torches and solar panels to provide light.
Suwandi said he did not know why help did not arrive immediately.
Riung is located 72km (44 miles), or about four hours, from Bajawa, the capital of Ngada regency, along winding mountain roads, parts of which had experienced falling debris.
“The next day, by the grace of God, the power came back on and aid started to arrive. The aftershocks are still ongoing,” he said.
Fathur Rahman, head of the search and rescue team in Maumere, said there were particular challenges associated with relief efforts for earthquakes.

“The first is about the situation and conditions such as roads which are impassable, and landslides triggered by the earthquake.”
After an earthquake, medical professionals were needed to treat the injured, along with other support such as aid and food supplies, Rahman said. Displaced residents were currently staying in camps set up by the authorities and local NGOs, he added.
The search and rescue team was focused on pulling out residents trapped in the rubble so they could be treated for injuries and shock.
Rahman added the situation was markedly different from December 12, 1992, when a similar 7.7-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami, killing 2,500 people.
“While the August earthquake was quite strong at 7.7 too, there was no tsunami,” he said.
“Technology has also improved since 1992 and means that information and news travel faster now. So residents were more informed about what was happening and that there was no tsunami threat. Some residents remembered 1992 and had experience of what to do in this situation.”
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an earthquake-prone area where tectonic plates meet. Flores sits south of the Flores Thrust fault line, which makes the island particularly prone to quakes.
While he recalled the 1992 disaster, Winfridus said that other large quakes in Flores since then felt like “a normal occurrence”. The disaster response was comprehensive this time, with enough heavy machinery used to dig through the rubble, he added.

In a statement on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had ordered 253 tonnes of aid to be sent to Flores after the quake. This included five military aircraft carrying 65 tonnes of medical supplies, food, clean water and tents.
On Thursday, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited Maumere to inspect the damage and assured that psychological counselling was available for traumatised residents.
In a statement provided by his office, Gibran said: “No citizen should be left without assistance, including those in remote areas such as mountainous areas.”
Winfridus lamented that the manpower to deal with the disaster in Maumere was insufficient. “The Search and Rescue Agency, police and army were quick to respond to this earthquake but, in situations like this, you really need as many people as possible.”
In recent years, several NGOs in Flores had closed partly because of a lack of funding, leading to a dearth of volunteers to help deal with the aftermath of an earthquake, Winfridus said.
“As these disasters keep happening, we should anticipate them and have more robust plans in place. There should be more people trained and ready to help and stocks of essentials like tents.”


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Villagers shelter in tents in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Flores island on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A truck drives on Monday along a road lined with debris from a collapsed cliff in the aftermath of an earthquake in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. Photo: EPA

Rescue personnel move a person on a stretcher into a vehicle for evacuation in East Manggarai, following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Flores island on August 15. Photo: AFP/Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency

Damaged buildings after an earthquake on Flores Island, Indonesia. Photo: Xinhua

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Officials say there were 4,256 aftershocks since the quake off Flores, which killed 78 people and injured more than 900


Officials say there were 4,256 aftershocks since the quake off Flores, which killed 78 people and injured more than 900.


Earthquakes

Natural disasters

Gibran Rakabuming Raka

Prabowo Subianto

Indonesian quake survivors recall trauma of all-day intense aftershocks, self-rescue

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Officials say there were 4,256 aftershocks since the quake off Flores, which killed 78 people and injured more than 900

Officials say there were 4,256 aftershocks since the quake off Flores, which killed 78 people and injured more than 900