MOROTAI ISLAND (September 20, 2024) – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has instructed his team to promptly take action in response to the earthquake that struck Morotai Island Regency, North Maluku. “Teams from the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and Disasters Response Volunteers (Tagana) have begun collecting data and conducting assessments to determine the impact of the earthquake,” said Masriani Mansyur, Acting Director of Social Protection for Natural Disaster-Affected People (PSKBA), on Friday (20/9) in Jakarta.


The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.6 and a depth of 10 km, struck the sea 47 kilometers northeast of Daruba on Thursday (19/9) at 4.45 p.m. local time.


The earthquake caused varied degrees of damage to several homes. Six houses in Morotai Jaya District, notably in Cempaka Village, were severely damaged, while three were very slightly damaged. Houses in Libano Village were also reported to be damaged, both severely and lightly, though assessments are still ongoing.


“As for the districts of East Morotai, North Morotai, Southwest Morotai, and Rai Island, there have been no reports of damage,” Masriani added.


Masriani further stated that, based on reports from the MoSA and Tagana teams on-site, there have been no evacuations so far. Even residents whose homes were severely damaged still have some space to live in.


“Residents with severely damaged homes can apply for MoSA assistance for building materials through the local Social Office. We will then verify this by reviewing the assessment results," Masriani explained.


MoSA, along with Tagana, continues to monitor the condition of residents in the earthquake-affected areas.