Will the United States announce disaster aid for Indonesia's earthquake before Aug 22?

A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia's Flores region in East Nusa Tenggara province on Aug. 15, 2026, killing dozens, injuring more than 200, and damaging homes, roads and communications infrastructure. As of Aug. 22, the United States had not announced a formal disaster-aid package for Indonesia; the U.S. response was limited to an embassy safety alert for Americans and a condolence message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, delivered Aug. 17 as part of remarks marking Indonesia's Independence Day, which did not include any pledge of assistance.

The absence of a U.S. aid announcement reflected Indonesia's own posture: its Foreign Ministry said the government was relying on national capacity to respond and had not yet opened the door to international assistance, even as it acknowledged offers of support from other countries. President Prabowo Subianto directed a domestic response, including tens of thousands of government aid packages, while Indonesia's military and police led search-and-rescue operations. Several countries conveyed offers of support that Indonesia said it appreciated without formally accepting.

Indonesia has accepted large-scale foreign disaster assistance in past catastrophes, but as of Aug. 22 it had not formally requested it for this quake. A tiny two-vote community sample on this question had unanimously predicted "yes," but the market resolved "no."