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View all search resultsAnalysis: When a disaster-prone nation cuts its safety net budget
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Rescuers inspect a heavily-damaged building at Laurentius Say port in Maumere, Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Aug. 15, 2026 following an earthquake off the northern coast of Flores Island. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
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major earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has once again put Indonesia’s disaster preparedness under scrutiny, raising tough questions about political will and shrinking mitigation budgets. Sitting squarely on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia faces inherent geological risks. Yet policymakers too often treat this geography as an excuse for poor outcomes rather than an urgent mandate for better preparation.
The magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off Flores Island near Nagekeo on Aug. 15. By Aug. 26, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had recorded 7,492 aftershocks, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.2, with no clear sign of tapering off.
The human and material toll has been severe. As of Aug. 25, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported 105 deaths, 1,678 injuries and 179,037 displaced residents. The tremor damaged nearly 78,000 homes, alongside 118 health facilities, 1,378 educational buildings, 483 government offices, 402 houses of worship and 156 road sections.
Beyond the immediate devastation, the disaster exposes three fundamental issues.
First is the symbolic weight of the government's response. President Prabowo Subianto did not visit Nagekeo until Aug. 26, or 11 days after the disaster struck, and only after attending his private secretary’s wedding reception. Prabowo defended the delay as deliberate, arguing that high-profile visits risk distracting frontline agencies from urgent rescue operations.
Yet a head of state’s presence carries significant psychological value. For survivors who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods, seeing their leader on the ground offers an emotional reassurance that administrative protocols cannot match. It serves as an essential gesture of solidarity, proof that the state recognizes their grief and grants it the highest priority. That reassurance matters even more in distant, less developed regions like NTT, where geographic isolation can quickly breed feelings of political neglect.
This delayed response mirrors the government's handling of the devastating floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra in late November 2025. Though Prabowo eventually visited the affected areas, his administration drew sharp criticism for a sluggish response and an apparent reluctance to declare a national emergency. Officials later conceded that earlier budget cuts had left key agencies financially strapped, while national leadership hesitated to accept foreign aid out of concern that it might project institutional weakness.
