Flores Quake Recovery: Shops Reopen as Thousands Remain Displaced

Four days after a powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Flores, grocery stores, fuel stations, and markets have begun reopening, offering a semblance of normalcy to a region grappling with widespread destruction. The quake, which hit shortly before 6 a.m. on Saturday, has claimed at least 70 lives and injured nearly 1,200 people.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, the tremor damaged at least 11,925 homes, along with hundreds of health facilities, schools, and government buildings. Streets remain littered with debris, and search teams are still combing through rubble, anticipating the possibility of finding more victims.

More than 40,000 people continue to live in tents, evacuation centers, and makeshift shelters, with many residents choosing to sleep outdoors due to fear of aftershocks. Authorities have recorded over 2,100 aftershocks through Tuesday, though only 70 were strong enough to be felt.

In Maumere, a port city in Sikka regency, markets and gas stations drew large crowds upon reopening. In the town of Reo, in the hard-hit Manggarai regency, a grocery store partially opened its doors to limit the number of customers inside. Delvina Panjaitan, waiting outside the store, noted that while food aid has helped, it doesn't cover all daily needs, making the return of local shops essential.

Local governments in seven affected regencies have resumed operations to accelerate post-disaster recovery, according to East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena. The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, triggered brief tsunami warnings that were later lifted.

Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Flores itself experienced one of the country's deadliest disasters in 1992, when a quake and tsunami killed approximately 2,500 people.