Indonesian President Visits Bali After Bali Floods Impact Tourism Resorts And Local Communities

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The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, visited Bali this weekend to meet with flood victims and assess the extent of the damage caused by last week’s flooding.

Major figures from the central government have also visited Bali, including the Deputy President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana. 

President Subianto visited Bali on Saturday, 13th September, following a diplomatic trip to the Middle East. During his short visit, he met with vendors and community members affected by the flooding in Denpasar, and walked through the alleyways of Gerenceng, where the impacts of the flood, from mud to debris, were still very evident. 

President Subianto was heard assuring a concerned member of the public, “We will help you out with everything.” In a statement issued in the hours after his visit, the President’s Office shared. “In the visit, the President expressed his deep sorrow for the calamity experienced by the people, while reviewing directly the handling process that had previously been instructed to the ranks of the Red and White Cabinet.”

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Adding “The President also assured that the government will continue to move swiftly to restore the conditions of citizens, repair the damaged infrastructure, and ensure that the basic needs of the affected people are met until the situation is completely recovered.”

Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has also been visiting communities affected by flooding, along with the Mayor of Denpasar Jaya Negara and the Indonesian Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq.

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Governor Koster is focused on supporting the clean-up mission before making any radical policy changes; however, he has confirmed that big changes must be made to help reduce the risk of such catastrophic events happening again in the future.

More than 210 tonnes of flood debris have been cleared from Denpasar alone, with this only the tip of the iceberg of the material damage caused around the province. 

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As of Monday afternoon, flood waters continued to rise in Denpasar, Canggu, Seminyak, and other areas of Badung Regency. Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana has told reporters that Bali remains open and safe for tourism, though it is wise for visitors on the island to keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts via the Bali Center for Climatology, Meteorology, and Geophysics Agency on Instagram.

Tourists should also check in with their accommodation providers as to flood evacuation plans, and those staying in private accommodation or long-stay rental properties should work with their landlords to put flood mitigations in place and create disaster management plans. 

Bali’s Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD), Search and Rescue Agency, Bali Police, Army, and other local community organisations, such as the Pecalang, are working around the clock to support those affected by the flooding.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics of BPBD Badung, I Ketut Murdika, confirmed that his teams are not only working to start recovery work but are still assessing the extent of the damage, which is vast.

He told reporters on Monday, 15th September, “From a total of 335 disaster points, we recorded as many as 132 incidents occurred in Mengwi District, making it the area with the worst impact. Followed by North Kuta with 115 incidents, Abiansemal with 48 incidents, Kuta with 33 incidents, and Petang District with 7 incidents.”

He confirmed that his teams are working around the clock to locate a number of people who have been reported missing from the flash floods of last week.

Though as recovery teams work to organise debris, more bodies are being found, and the BPBD suspects more will be located as recovery work continues in the coming weeks. 

A province-wide state of emergency was declared by Bali Governor Wayan Koster and remains in place until Wednesday, 17th September, unless extended.