200 KK Victims of Lewotobi Eruption Have Not Occupied Huntara, East Flores Regency Urges Residents to Move

FLORES TIMUR - The East Flores Regency Government, East Nusa Tenggara, has recorded that around 200 families (KK) of victims of the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki have not occupied the temporary housing (huntara) that has been built by the central government.

East Flores Regent Anton Doni said that out of a total of 305 affected households, only 105 households had occupied the huntara.

"Some of them have occupied the huntara, but there are still some that have not been occupied," said Anton when contacted from Kupang, Antara, Tuesday, February 3.

He explained that Huntara IV was intended for residents of Nobo Village who were affected by the eruption. The residence was completed at the end of November 2025 and began to be distributed to residents in December by the local government.

"Since January 5, 2026, everything has shifted to huntara, but until now there are still those who have not occupied it," he said.

The regional government, continued Anton, through the sub-district and village governments has encouraged residents to immediately occupy the huntara. In addition to accelerating the recovery process, the huntara that is not occupied is considered vulnerable to flooding and waterlogging, especially during extreme weather.

This condition occurred on Saturday (31/1) to Sunday (1/2), which resulted in 22 households affected by flooding in the huntara area.

Anton said one of the reasons why residents were reluctant to occupy the huntara was because the condition of the building was not considered to be up to expectations. Some residents choose to stay in the village because they feel their old houses are still more decent.

"But that's not the main reason. Our hope is that residents will first enter, then carry out renovations as refugees from other villages," he said.

He admitted that geographically, the location of Huntara IV is vulnerable to surface water flows from the surrounding hills. However, a number of efforts have been made by the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) together with related agencies, such as making ditches and burying sacks of soil and sand.

"Our obstacle is the rule that does not allow the construction of permanent infrastructure," he said.

In the field, said Anton, the local government encourages citizen initiatives in carrying out improvements. Requests for cement assistance for the construction of barriers or fences so that water does not enter the house are given. The initiative to build a paving wall has also been supported through the allocation of available budgets.