Selayar residents remain in evacuation camps due to earthquake trauma

Approximately 50 households in the Pasimarannu District of the Selayar Islands Regency continue to reside in hilly evacuation sites following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. This group represents about 20 percent of the total evacuees in the district.

Local authorities from the Selayar Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) report that the decision to remain in the hills is driven by deep psychological trauma stemming from a devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake in December 2021. During that previous event, many homes in the Pasilambena and Pasimarannu districts were severely damaged or destroyed.

While many residents in Pasilambena have gradually returned to their homes, those in Pasimarannu exhibit a pattern of returning to the evacuation sites—located roughly seven kilometers from their settlements—every evening due to fears of aftershocks. Muhammad Ikbal, Head of Emergency and Logistics at BPBD Selayar, noted that the geographical conditions of the area also present challenges for managing the displaced population.