September 7, 2026 | 04:16 pm
President Prabowo accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian at the 2026 National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of the Central and Regional Governments, at the Sentul International Convention Center (SICC), Bogor Regency, West Java, Monday, February 2, 2026. Doc. Cabinet Secretariat
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto chaired a virtual meeting on the government’s response to a series of natural disasters affecting Indonesia, from Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday, September 7, 2026.The meeting came as Indonesia deals with multiple disasters, including the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, forest and land fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the latest eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait.Prabowo was accompanied at Merdeka Palace by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Cabinet Secretary Lt. Col. Teddy Indra Wijaya and Defense Ministry Logistics Agency Chief Air Marshal Yusuf Jauhari.“I just want to monitor the developments and hear the latest situation,” Prabowo said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday afternoon.He said Indonesia was dealing with several disasters simultaneously, including the Flores earthquake, Anak Krakatau’s volcanic activity, forest fires and haze.“This is our fate as a country located in the Ring of Fire,” Prabowo said.A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday, August 15, 2026. According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) as of early September, the earthquake had killed at least 129 people.The quake also caused widespread damage across affected areas, prompting a prolonged emergency response.Forest and land fires have also affected large parts of Indonesia. BNPB recorded at least 73,310.89 hectares of land burned between August and September 2, 2026.The fires have contributed to deteriorating air quality and haze in several areas, adding to the challenges faced by authorities responding to multiple disasters at the same time.Anak Krakatau EruptionsThe latest disaster concerns Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. The Geological Agency of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry reported that the volcano continued to erupt from Friday through Sunday morning, September 4-6, 2026.The eruptions produced incandescent rock fragments and volcanic ash. Volcanic activity has been ongoing since July 2, when the volcano’s alert status was raised to Level III, or Alert.Winds carried ash from Anak Krakatau toward parts of Greater Jakarta and surrounding areas, including Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.In response, the Jakarta, West Java and Banten provincial governments implemented remote learning in some areas to reduce students’ and teachers’ exposure to volcanic ash.
