In Dampek hamlet, there are hundreds of victims of the calamity, but only one physician.
This region was among the most severely damaged after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 slammed the Indonesian island of Flores on Saturday.
After two days, tremors continued to shake the temporary shelters as medical supplies quickly ran out, health facilities were destroyed, and power networks were cut off.
There are hundreds of victims here, and I am the lone doctor. Dr. Melinda, the only doctor at the now-demolished Dampek Health Center, sent an urgent appeal on Sunday, saying, “I really cannot cope.”
Flores Earthquake Leaves Thousands Without Aid and Shelter
Due to the constant influx of victims, I haven’t slept since yesterday.”
Thousands of displaced survivors in Flores are experiencing anxiety due to continued earthquakes and aid interruptions.
For fear of further houses collapsing, refugees are sleeping outside during hot days and cold nights. For injured patients, tents erected amid the debris of fallen hospitals are acting as temporary emergency rooms. Concerns about how long survivors may endure are also mounting as landslides cut off access routes and supplies in various areas of the island.
It is the worst earthquake to strike the nation since 2022, when hundreds of people died in West Java.
In an ongoing effort to reach villages cut off by Saturday’s earthquake, search and rescue teams and volunteers—including medical professionals—are negotiating access routes that are blocked by rocks or damaged by landslides.
Dr. Alhamzah, who works at the Lalang Health Center in East Manggarai.
These were at last providing much-needed support to locations like Dampek, ministering to seriously injured patients with whatever resources they could marshal.We will send a patient to the hospital in Ruteng, which is almost four hours away, if their condition is serious,” he stated.
However, the hospital in Ruteng is also in dire need of assistance.
Rescue Teams Reach Isolated Communities as Aid Remains Limited
Rista Mari, a public relations representative of the Ruteng Regional General Hospital, stated, “We heard that medical assistance would be provided, but nothing has arrived yet.” “We hope that assistance will arrive soon.”
After the terrible earthquake on Saturday devastated hospitals, temporary emergency rooms were set up in tents.
According to preliminary statistics from Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, the earthquake destroyed over 1,000 homes as well as several medical facilities, educational institutions, and government buildings.
However, medical personnel are still trying to figure out how many people were hurt, and the entire scope of the catastrophe is still being discovered.
Aftershocks Force Flores Survivors to Sleep Outdoors
Because Indonesia is located where three main tectonic plates converge, it is vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Many survivors have been sleeping outside in Flores’ westernmost town of Labuan Bajo, which is the entry point to Komodo National Park and one of Indonesia’s most visited tourist sites.
They are afraid that if the earthquakes continue, they may be crushed as they sleep.The trembling was terrifying.
From a green emergency tent set up next to her damaged home, a farmer called Anastasia Imad stated, “My house almost collapsed.” “We were worried that the aftershocks would collapse the house while we were sleeping.”
In the midst of barricades, landslides, and blackouts, “each resident has set up their own evacuation post,” according to Herry Kabut, chief editor of the local newspaper Floresa Media.
Flores Faces Food and Medical Supply Shortages
There is currently a high demand for numerous basic commodities, including clean water and [basic foodstuffs], he stated. “People don’t know where to flee. The administration has not offered any guidance. Many are famished after fleeing to the hills.
Similar to this, destroyed buildings have caused health services around the island to relocate outside and erect emergency tents. The roof of Ruteng Regional General Hospital collapsed, rendering the pharmacy, laboratory, operating room, and delivery room unusable.
Charles Abar, a native in Ngada Regency, told the BBC that no medical help had come as of Sunday nite and that medical facilities and equipment had sustained significant damage.
He feels that the administration has not responded quickly enough.
Medical Supplies Run Low as Flores Villages Remain Isolated
“I think facilities like emergency tents need to be provided immediately, but I also see that district and regional governments are struggling due to budget constraints, limited supplies, and so on,” he stated.
As hundreds of aftershocks continue to shake the island, he said, settlements have been cut off from relief, and displaced individuals whose houses were damaged or destroyed have been forced to seek higher ground.He emphasized that the neighborhood is still traumatized.
Fearing future building collapses and tremors, any displaced survivors are opting to sleep outside.
Dr. Alhamzah has used social media to solicit contributions of medications and medical supplies, as well as medical volunteers who are ready to fly to the crisis area.
Rescuers Reach Hard Hit Nitung Village After Two Days
It took the rescuers two hours to get overland from the shore to Nitung Village.Our issue was the route, which was still prone to landslides,” said Sikka Deputy Police Chief Commissioner Marselus Yugo Amboro, who oversaw the rescue effort. “It was a life-threatening route.”
According to Yugo, the earthquake seriously destroyed hundreds of homes in Nitung Village, forcing the locals to take refuge in temporary shelters. He said, “After the earthquake, communication lines and electricity were totally cut off.””They haven’t received aid yet because Nitung Village was isolated for almost two days after the earthquake,” he stated, adding that attempts were being made to provide the survivors with immediate assistance.
Further reporting from Eliazar Robert in Irfani, East Nusa Tenggara, and Sikka Regency
