Search and Rescue Team Evacuates 12 Flood Victims in Dewi Sri Legian Area
Denpasar (ANTARA) – A joint search and rescue team evacuated 12 victims of flooding in one of the areas severely affected by the extreme weather, namely Jalan Dewi Sri, Legian, Badung Regency.
“From noon until late afternoon, the total number of victims evacuated by the joint search and rescue team in the Dewi Sri area was 12 people,” said the Field Coordinator of the Bali National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Komang Sudiarsa.
In Denpasar, on Tuesday, it was reported that flooding occurred in dozens of locations in Bali, especially in Denpasar and Badung, due to three days of heavy rain and strong winds.
At its peak, the extreme weather caused water to overflow onto the main road on Jalan Dewi Sri, disrupting traffic as the water reached a height of more than 1 metre, or about the height of an adult’s chest.
In response to the incident, Basarnas Bali dispatched 11 personnel with one inflatable boat early this morning.
“Upon arrival at the location, the team immediately met with local residents who requested evacuation assistance. One person had a leg injury after being hit by a grinder and needed immediate evacuation,” said Komang Sudiarsa.
In the late afternoon, a team from the Ditsamapta Polda Bali joined the effort after carrying out evacuations in the Sanur area and parts of Legian, which were also affected by the floods.
The same was true for the Brimob Polda Bali and Balawista, so a total of three inflatable boats and three canoes were used in the flood evacuation efforts specifically in the Jalan Dewi Sri area.
During the evacuation process, Komang Sudiarsa said that the rain continued to fall, accompanied by very strong winds, which significantly hampered rescue operations.
“Operational vehicles could not pass through the floodwaters, so the inflatable boats had to be launched quite a distance from the location of the victims,” he said.
Komang Sudiarsa said that the joint search and rescue team kept watch at the gathering point, but by 17:50 local time, there were no further requests for evacuation assistance.
“For now, based on monitoring and reports this afternoon, there are no more requests, so the evacuation has been completed and the water has begun to recede, and we will end the operation for today,” he said, while still urging people to remain vigilant as the rain continued.
According to data from the Bali Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the flooding was not limited to one location on Jalan Dewi Sri; by 18:00 local time, there were at least 51 locations affected by flooding in Bali.
Of these, 39 locations were in Denpasar and 12 were in Badung Regency, so the search and rescue teams focused on the locations that needed evacuation assistance.
In total, 350 people, including local residents and tourists, were evacuated during the day, but there were no fatalities or displaced persons as a result of the flooding or other disasters caused by the extreme weather in Bali.