Sulawesi Earthquake, Indonesia

On 28 September 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi. Within minutes a tsunami hit the city of Palu, sweeping through coastal communities. More than 4,300 people were killed and over 40,000 structures damaged or destroyed. The earthquake also triggered massive soil liquefaction — considered among the largest ever recorded — causing entire neighbourhoods to simply sink into the ground. Over 330,000 people were left without adequate shelter.

I was there primarily operating drone, covering areas that cars and scooters couldn't reach — assessing destruction and helping the team on the ground make decisions about where to send people next. The footage became a critical part of the search and response operation. Drone footage from Sulawesi was licensed and distributed internationally through Newsflare.

Nothing really prepares you for it. The scale of loss stays with you. At the same time, I met people who had lost everything, yet still carried themselves with a humility and strength that's hard to explain.

These are the images I took during the two weeks I spent there, working and photographing what was in front of me. What I saw, as it was.