Indonesia Delivers First Aid Assessments to Remote West Manggarai Quake Villages
Indonesia's BNPB has begun direct assessments and aid delivery to remote villages in East Nusa Tenggara hit by a magnitude-7.7 earthquake four days earlier, recording 148 damaged houses and one fatality in two hard-to-reach hamlets. [1]
Indonesia Mobilizes Aid to Isolated Earthquake Villages
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has begun reaching hard-to-access villages affected by the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara to assess residents’ needs and ensure aid can be delivered promptly. [1] BNPB Deputy for Prevention Abdul Muhari said in a statement on Thursday that the first direct assessment was conducted in Kuwus Sub-district, covering Coal Hamlet and Dahang Hamlet. [1] “We are currently on site and assessing the condition of the community firsthand. The sub-district head has reported that food aid has been provided, and of course, we will continue to follow up on this,” Muhari said. [1] He explained that the two villages in Kuwus, West Manggarai, required special attention after reportedly receiving no aid since the magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck four days earlier. [1] Limited access remains one of the main challenges. [1] From the support post in Labuan Bajo, the BNPB team had to travel by car for 3.5 hours overland to reach the two villages near Mount Mbeliling in West Manggarai. [1] According to Muhari, the earthquake caused significant damage in the villages. [1] The team’s assessment recorded 148 damaged houses, comprising 101 heavily damaged houses, 12 moderately damaged houses, and 35 lightly damaged houses, as well as one fatality. [1] In addition, 1,108 people were displaced in Coal Village, while more than 20 families were self-evacuating in Pangga Village. [1]
Damage and Displacement Tallied in Kuwus Sub-district
Indonesian disaster agency staff assess damage in remote West Manggarai village after magnitude-7.7 earthquake. — Source: thelocal-norway The assessment found 101 heavily damaged houses, 12 moderately damaged houses, 35 lightly damaged houses, one fatality, 1,108 displaced people in Coal Village, and more than 20 families self-evacuating in Pangga Village. [1] BNPB Deputy for Prevention Abdul Muhari led the first on-site assessment in Coal Hamlet and Dahang Hamlet of Kuwus Sub-district, West Manggarai, after a 3.5-hour overland journey from Labuan Bajo. [1] The sub-district head has reported that food aid has been provided, and the agency will continue to follow up. [1] The two villages required special attention after reportedly receiving no aid since the magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck four days earlier. [1] Limited access remains one of the main challenges, with the team traveling by car for 3.5 hours overland from the support post in Labuan Bajo to reach the villages near Mount Mbeliling. [1]
Challenges of Self-Evacuation and Aftershock Trauma
Many residents have self-evacuated by setting up tents around undamaged homes due to trauma and aftershock fears rather than moving to official sites, prompting BNPB to ensure food and basic needs are met there. [1] Muhari acknowledged that the response operation underscored the challenges of delivering aid, as many residents had evacuated independently rather than moving to designated primary evacuation sites. [1] “Due to the trauma and the threat of aftershocks, many residents have set up tents around undamaged homes. But as long as these self-evacuated residents remain there, we will ensure that their food and other basic needs are met,” he said. [1] The agency has begun reaching hard-to-access villages to assess residents’ needs and ensure aid can be delivered promptly. [1]
Government Housing Repair and Reconstruction Aid
BNPB Head Suharyanto stated that the agency will provide Rp15 million for lightly damaged homes, Rp30 million for moderately damaged homes, and fund permanent housing for severely damaged structures. [1] Earlier, the agency also assured earthquake victims whose homes were damaged that they would receive assistance. [1] “We will help repair houses that suffered light and moderate damage. For severely damaged homes, the solution is permanent housing,” BNPB Head Suharyanto said on Wednesday (August 19). [1] BNPB will provide housing repair assistance based on the extent of damage, offering Rp15 million (around US$842) for lightly damaged homes and Rp30 million for moderately damaged homes. [1] For severely damaged houses, meanwhile, the government will fund the construction of permanent housing. [1]
Ongoing Seismic Swarm in Southern Spain
A separate swarm of 432 low-magnitude earthquakes, including two of Mw 4.8, struck the Granada area of southern Spain from 14-18 August, felt in over 500 localities with no major damage reported. [3] The series sísmica registered since 14 August in the entorno of Alhendín, Gójar and La Zubia, al sur de Granada, has placed seismic risk in the spotlight again. [3] According to the updated report from the Instituto Geográfico Nacional, up to 18 August 432 earthquakes had been recorded, the majority of low magnitude and at depths inferior to 10 kilometers. [3] Among them stand out two earthquakes of moment magnitude Mw 4.8, occurring on 14 and 18 August. [3] The province of Granada forms part of one of the seismically most active areas of the Iberian peninsula: the system of the Cordilleras Béticas. [3] The recent activity confirms a known reality for European seismology: southern Spain and Portugal are among the regions where models estimate relatively elevated levels of ground shaking. [3] The main earthquakes of the Alhendín series reached magnitude Mw 4.8 and were followed by aftershocks, including several of magnitude superior to 3. [3] The IGN places the activity in a zone comprised between the faults of Dílar, Granada and Belicena-Alhendín, inside the Granada basin and the central sector of the Béticas Orientales. [3] The focal mechanism analyses indicate a normal fault mechanism, coherent with the active faults mapped and with the extensional tectonics of the zone. [3] The scarce depth of the earthquakes explains that movements of moderate magnitude have been widely perceived. [3] The two Mw 4.8 earthquakes reached a maximum intensity of V–VI on the European macroseismic scale EMS-98 in populations of Granada. [3] They were felt in more than 500 localities and motivated more than 15,000 citizen questionnaires sent to the IGN. [3] The stations of the IGN registered a maximum acceleration of 0.24 g in Armilla, some three kilometers from the epicentral zone, during the two main earthquakes. [3] The IGN has reinforced vigilance with two portable seismic stations. [3] These add to the 52 permanent sensors installed by the organism in a radius of approximately 50 kilometers, as well as the stations of the Instituto Andaluz de Geofísica of the University of Granada. [3]
Minor Earthquakes Reported in Norway, Peru, and Alaska
Northern Norway was hit by a light earthquake. [2] A magnitude-4.8 earthquake occurred offshore Lima at 5:28 a.m. on Wednesday 19 August, with its epicenter 42 kilometers southwest of Lurín at a depth of 42 kilometers. [4] The Dirección de Hidrografía y Navegación of the Marina de Guerra del Perú evaluated the characteristics of the quake and issued a statement that the movement does not generate a tsunami alert for the Peruvian coast. [4] The quake reached an intensity of III in Lurín. [4] A magnitude 2.9 earthquake occurred at a depth of 128.8 km, 60 km NNW of Petersville, Alaska. [5]
What to watch next: BMKG predicts Flores aftershocks to continue for 21-30 days while the IGN maintains reinforced monitoring of the Granada sequence with additional portable stations.
