Who Pays When the Ground Moves
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Tuesday, killing at least one resident, injuring dozens of people, damaging homes and infrastructure and sending people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province. The quake hit inland about 43 kilometers (27 miles) east-southeast of Palu, and the U.S. Geological Survey said it was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep.
The immediate burden fell on ordinary residents, not the institutions that claim to manage disaster. Several hospitals evacuated patients, some with IV drips, outdoors as a safety measure. A preliminary report said at least 312 people have been displaced by the powerful earthquake. 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 one person died, 38 others were reported injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, including 13 with serious injuries in the hardest hit Sigi regency. The earthquake also caused widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure, including 67 houses, six places of worship, four public facilities, two bridges, two government office buildings and three business sites. A section of a provincial road linking Palu city and its neighboring regencies of Sigi and Poso was cut.
What People Did Before the Apparatus Caught Up
The strong shaking sent people fleeing into open areas. Aftershocks prompted residents to flee buildings and gather in open areas. People also moved away from coastal areas as a precaution in case the quake set off a tsunami. The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned aftershocks could continue.
Palu resident Muhtar Ahmad said, “The earthquake shaking was extremely strong.” He said, “We are still traumatized by the previous earthquake, so we chose to remain outside because we are afraid that aftershocks may continue.” His words carry the memory of a place that has already been broken by disaster and then left to live with the fear of the next one.
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,” adding that the hotel sustained only minor damage.
The Memory of Earlier Ruin
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.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency recorded that at least 71 aftershocks continued throughout the day, raising concerns among residents shaken by memories of the 2018 earthquake and tsunami in the region. The aftershocks kept people outside and away from buildings, a reminder that the ground itself had become another source of uncertainty while the official response remained in the language of assessment and warning.
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. 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 scale of the damage in Palu and Central Sulawesi shows how quickly ordinary life is pushed into emergency mode while residents improvise safety in open spaces, hospitals move patients outside, and whole communities wait for assessments from above. The quake’s toll landed first on homes, roads, bridges, workplaces and places of worship, while the people closest to the epicenter were left to deal with the shaking, the injuries and the aftershocks.