The weather in Bali this week has been nothing shy of brutal. Persistent heavy rains have caused widespread flooding, forcing evacuations of both local communities and tourists.
Fallen trees and landslides have only added to the devastation faced by communities during what will go down as one of the worst rainy seasons in living memory.
With the dry season not due to arrive until mid-April, heavier rain is certainly on the horizon.
Earlier this week, Bali’s Governor spoke to reporters following a week of devastating weather and called on both local residents and tourists to minimise long-distance road travel and to keep watch for more extreme weather warnings over the coming weeks.
While flood waters have started to subside and the clean-up operation can begin, the scale of the impact in terms of material losses is yet to be fully understood, though it is likely to be in the hundreds of millions of rupiah.
Tourists in Sanur, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak had to be rescued from their accommodations this week by the Bali Police Rescue Units.
Teams were deployed across the worst-affected areas and helped both local community members and tourists reach safety as floodwaters rose.
Officers supported elderly people and children, and even helped save pets as floodwaters reached more than 1m in places.
In light of this week’s flooding across Bali’s top tourism resort areas, tourism leaders in Bali are calling on accommodation providers to do more to mitigate the issue.
This is not the first time that tourists have had to be evacuated this rainy season.
While there are protocols in place to keep people safe, leaders do not want evacuation to become a commonplace solution.
Speaking to reporters, Gede Nick Sukarta, Secretary of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Badung branch, explained that a more proactive approach to flood mitigation is necessary. Badung Regency is home to almost all of Bali’s most popular vacation destinations, including Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, and Uluwatu.
Sukarta told reporters, “Mitigation efforts must begin long before flooding occurs. Hotels need to ensure their internal drainage systems are functioning properly, regularly clean drains, and establish clear emergency response procedures.”
He explained to reporters his belief that the repeated flooding incidents in recent years have provided an important lesson for tourism businesses, particularly hotels and restaurants. He noted how mitigation measures must not only focus on physical infrastructure readiness but also on operational responses and logistics, too.
The Bali Flood Crisis
As Bali faces one of the worst rainy seasons in living memory, officials are calling for massive changes. Tap a card for the latest on the floods and what tourists need to know.
BRUTAL FLOODS
Widespread Devastation
TAP TO REVEALHOTEL PROTOCOLS
Proactive Mitigation
TAP TO REVEALTHE FORECAST
More Rain Expected
TAP TO REVEALTOURIST PREP
Expect the Unexpected
TAP TO REVEALFrom Sukarta’s standpoint, hotel management needs to provide employees with training on evacuation procedures, asset security, and communication with guests during extreme weather.
He explained, “Tourist confidence is largely determined by how we respond to the situation. If mitigation is carried out effectively, even if heavy rain occurs, the impact can be minimized.”
Reiterating that climate change is having a huge impact across Badung Regency and all of Bali Province, Sukarta concluded, ”Mitigation is not just a short-term response, but a long-term investment to maintain the image and sustainability of tourism.”
Tourists traveling to Bali between now and mid-April must be prepared for extreme weather events, including heavy rain. It is essential that all tourists take out a fully comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes cover for extreme weather events and natural disasters.
Tourists traveling to Bali in the coming months are advised to include some rainy-day activity options in their itineraries and to be prepared to change plans at the last minute should weather warnings come into effect, to help prioritise safety.
Here at The Bali Sun, we will continue to report on the latest news affecting tourists, digital nomads, and expats in Bali, including extreme weather warnings and important forecasts.
It is advisable to also follow the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency on Instagram, where weather forecasts and warnings are posted in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.
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