The Head of the Bali Basarnas Office, I Nyoman Sidakarya, on Wednesday, admitted the difficulty in accessing the locations mapped by the Bali Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) because flooding had affected almost the entire Denpasar area due to heavy rain for more than 24 hours.
"The team is having difficulty accessing the flooded areas. Floods are everywhere, even trucks can barely pass through. We are still trying to reach the affected locations," Sidakarya ensured.
"Personnel movement initially encountered obstacles because many access roads were flooded, making rescue trucks impassable. But some of them have arrived," he continued.
As of 11:00 a.m. local time, his party had deployed personnel to the worst-hit areas in Denpasar, namely Pulau Misol, Pulau Biak 1, Pura Demak, and the Teuku Umar area.
"The joint search and rescue team in Pulau Misol has evacuated two toddlers, two elderly people, and three adults. According to other information, on Biak Island 1, all residents are safely located at the village hall," he informed.
Basarnas Bali initially dispatched 14 personnel to the initial flooding area at 5:20 a.m. local time to evacuate residents. Eight personnel headed to Kampung Jawa and six to Pulau Biak Taman Pancing.
However, the flooding spread further while the heavy rain continued, hampering the joint SAR team.
"We are still updating data with the BPBD regarding evacuation requests and data on evacuated victims, in order to compile the entire data," Sidakarya stated.
He also asked the people in Bali, especially residents of Denpasar City, to carry out independent evacuations before the situation worsens, noting his office’s limited personnel and rubber boats.
Related news: BMKG reports heavy downpour in Bali, likely to last all week
Related news: BNPB deploys emergency team to flood-hit South Halmahera
Translator: Ni Putu Putri, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
