A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Tuesday, injuring dozens of people, damaging homes and infrastructure, and sending residents of Palu back into open spaces as the city again faced the kind of fear that follows disaster and official helplessness. The quake was centered inland about 43 kilometers (27 miles) east-southeast of Palu and was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Who Pays When the Ground Moves
The strongest immediate burden fell on ordinary people in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 and the capital of Central Sulawesi province. The shaking drove people fleeing into open areas, while several hospitals evacuated patients, some still attached to IV drips, as a safety measure. At least 109 people have been displaced, according to a preliminary report, though four regencies close to the epicenter, with a combined population of 1.3 million, have yet to be fully assessed.
Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency’s spokesperson, said 32 people were reported injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, including eight with serious injuries in the hardest hit Sigi regency. The quake also damaged 64 houses, four places of worship, four public facilities, two bridges, two government office buildings, a cafe and a hotel. A section of a provincial road linking Palu city and its neighboring regencies of Sigi and Poso was cut.
What the Officials Could Count
The damage list reads like a map of daily life interrupted: homes, worship spaces, public facilities, bridges, offices, a cafe, a hotel, and a road link. The apparatus can tally the wreckage, but the people living through it are the ones who have to improvise safety, shelter and movement while the ground keeps reminding them who is vulnerable.
At least 55 aftershocks continued throughout the day, deepening concern among residents already shaken by memories of the devastating 2018 earthquake and tsunami in the region. Those aftershocks prompted residents to flee buildings and gather in open areas. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned aftershocks could continue.
Memory of the Last Collapse
The fear in Palu is not abstract. Many Sulawesi residents are haunted by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated Palu in 2018, setting off a 3-meter (10-foot) high tsunami and a phenomenon called liquefaction in which soil collapses into itself. More than 4,000 people were killed, including many who were buried when whole neighborhoods were swallowed in the falling ground. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake near the city of Mamuju on Sulawesi island left at least 100 people dead, with thousands sleeping outdoors for days out of fear of aftershocks.
Palu resident Muhtar Ahmad said, “The earthquake shaking was extremely strong,” and added, “We are still traumatized by the previous earthquake, so we chose to remain outside because we are afraid that aftershocks may continue.” His words land before the official reassurances, because it is the people on the ground who live with the consequences when the warnings, evacuations and damage assessments begin.
Effendi Natali, a general manager of a four-star hotel in Palu, said, “We have evacuated all guests from the hotel, including several guests who remained in their rooms.” Natali said, “They all panicked, which is a natural reaction during an earthquake, but everyone is safe,” and added that the hotel sustained only minor damage. People also moved away from coastal areas as a precaution in case the quake set off a tsunami.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. The latest quake again left residents to manage fear, displacement and damage while the institutions around them moved to assess, warn and count the losses.