Bali seismic situation. What happens in Bali and is it dangerous to be there?

The air temperature in Bali in winter is extremely high: since the island is located south of the equator, it is summer and the rainy season here. Maximum precipitation, about 345 mm, falls in January, whereas on February and December accounts for about 270-280 mm. Thunderstorms occur suddenly, but are almost always short-lived. Quantity sunny days varies from 5-10 per month. During the day it is stable around +30 °C and above.

In March the volume of precipitation decreases slightly - to 230-240 mm, but in general the rainy season is on the wane. The air temperature in Denpasar, Ubud and other cities, as well as on the slopes of Uluwatu, rises by one or two degrees.

In April In Bali, the weather is still reminiscent of the rainy season: there is still the possibility of short-term downpours, which fall less and less often. At this time, the daily temperature range becomes minimal. In May The heat is subsiding, the risk of sudden downpours remains, although the amount of precipitation at the end of spring does not exceed 95 mm.

During the calendar summer in Bali it is not hot and very comfortable - both on the coast and in the mountains. In June and July the air temperature drops to +28 °C, the water cools down slightly compared to previous months - to +27 °C. At the same time, air humidity decreases, which makes holidays on the coast more comfortable; it rains rarely and infrequently. For August According to statistics, there is minimal precipitation. The weather forecast in Bali at this time rarely promises surprises.

In September Bali continues to have warm summer weather, and in October daytime temperature and along with it the probability of precipitation gradually increases, a transition period begins.

In November It rains more often, this is the first month of the rainy season. The water in the island’s waters is still +27 °C, but in the coming months its temperature will rise.

The earthquake in Bali and Lombok occurred on July 29, 2018. Since then, the tense situation has remained in this region, with tremors occurring periodically. I will tell you about the situation on the islands today, whether it is safe for tourists to be here, as well as about forecasts from seismologists in this article.

Chronology of events since July 29, 2018

• On July 29, 2018, at 06:47 local time, an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 occurred on the island of Lombok, followed by 11 aftershocks (seismic aftershocks). As a result of the disaster, 16 people were killed, more than 162 were injured of varying severity, and dozens of houses were damaged. There are no Russians among the victims.
• Due to landslides that appeared after the earthquake, more than a thousand climbers and tourists were blocked on the Rinjani volcano and were unable to descend from it on their own. The rescue operation began immediately.

• On the island of Bali, the parking lot of the Bali Galleria mall in Denpasar partially collapsed, damage was recorded in some houses in Nusa Dua, Denpasar, Tabanan, and in some places the ceiling collapsed in the terminal building of Ngurah Rai Airport. The airport's head of public relations, Arief, said that the airport's main assets (the runway, taxiway and airport apron) were not damaged by the earthquake. The airport operates as usual.

• According to the head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency, Dewa Putu Mantera, in Bali, as a result of the earthquake, 2 people were killed, 7 people were seriously injured, 10 were slightly injured. On this moment 147 cases of damage to buildings and religious structures were recorded on the island.
• On August 6, 2018, schools in the northern part of Lombok were canceled due to fears of another earthquake.
• As of 08:00, Lombok's local airport is once again accepting arriving passengers.

• As of August 7, more than ten thousand tourists and local residents were evacuated from the island of Lombok. More than 3 thousand tourists were taken from the small islands of the Gili archipelago, and about 2.5 thousand to the island of Bali. Rescue operations are ongoing.
• Lombok continues to be rocked by aftershocks: At least 163 aftershocks have been recorded since the earthquake, but people could only feel 13 of them. In general, the situation on the islands is calm, there is no reason to panic.
• Specifically on the island of Bali there is no major destruction. Some buildings were damaged, but special repair services are already fixing the problems. People continue to relax in the resort area.
• Both airports (Bali Airport and Lombok Airport) are operational. Bali airport is operating as usual, Lombok airport is operating around the clock for the next three days. Also in the latter, several additional flights were introduced (in Largest cities on the island of Java, in Bali, in Kuala Lumpur) so that everyone can leave the island. In addition, AirAsia airline announced on its official page that anyone can move their departure date to another day without additional investment and subject to availability. In total, the additional flights will be able to carry up to 770 passengers.
• As of August 7, 2018, the earthquake killed 105 people, injured 236, and destroyed thousands of homes in Lombok, Sumbawa and Bali. The main damage occurred on the island of Lombok. Most of the dead were victims of building collapses. 2 people died in Bali.
• There are no foreign tourists among the victims of the earthquake on the Indonesian islands, and no visits to medical institutions with serious injuries from vacationers have been recorded either. Also on my

91 people died as a result of a powerful earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake destroyed thousands of buildings and caused power outages on the island, the BBC reported. The epicenter of the tremors was at a depth of 30 kilometers underground.

More than 1,000 tourists were evacuated by boat from the nearby Gili Islands and at least one person died in the disaster in Bali. Temporary emergency tents were erected on the islands to provide first aid to the victims.

Photo taken from baliforum.ru

More than 130 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake.

According to the Russian Embassy in Jakarta, there are no citizens of the Russian Federation among the victims.

Let us remind you that this is the second major earthquake recorded in this region over the past ten days. On July 29, earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4 occurred there, killing 16 people.

How safe is it to vacation in Indonesia and Bali in particular?

Lombok is located a few kilometers east of the popular tourist island of Bali. The two islands are home to approximately three and four million people respectively. Every year they are visited by millions of tourists from all over the world.

Evacuation of people. Photo taken from Instagram @infogianyar_

Let us remind you that in addition to the earthquake, Indonesia suffered from another disaster in September last year - before the start of the winter season, the Agung volcano became active on the island. Periodically, eruptions of lava, stones, sand and ash are recorded there, and the 4-kilometer zone around the crater is considered dangerous. People living in close proximity to the crater were evacuated to a safe distance.

In this regard, recently tourists are increasingly asking the question “is it safe to vacation in Indonesia today?” Despite the fact that the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia assures that tourists are not in danger in Bali, hoteliers have begun to reduce prices for accommodation so as not to lose customers. The government of the country, in turn, has allocated $7 million since the beginning of the year for a program to promote tourism.

Today it is impossible to say unequivocally that it is safe to live in Indonesia, since earthquakes are quite common here. It is possible to predict possible seismic activity, but it is impossible to name the exact place and time. Moreover, strong earthquakes often lead to a powerful tsunami that destroys everything in its path.

Why do earthquakes occur frequently in Indonesia?

An earthquake is a consequence of a seismic wave formed as a result of the movement of lithospheric plates. If plate drift occurs at the surface, it will be followed by a minor earthquake. More powerful earthquakes occur at the boundaries of shifting plates. Indonesia is located at the junction of three lithospheric plates, and the most active of them, the Pacific, is constantly moving and going under the Eurasian one. This process is the reason for such violent seismic activity in this region.

Scientists say that the likelihood of new tremors in South-East Asia quite high. Since the beginning of the century before last, about 100 tremors have been recorded. The most terrible and destructive of them occurred in the 21st century.

At the end of 2004 in Indian Ocean There was a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.3. It was caused by a sharp movement of the Indian tectonic plate under the Burma plate. The earthquake, tsunami and flood then killed, according to various estimates, from 185 to 230 thousand people from 14 countries along the Indian Ocean coast. In terms of destructive power, the earthquake of that year ranks third in the entire history of observations.

In 2012, another major earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 occurred on the northern coast of Sumatra. The epicenter was in the Indian Ocean at a depth of 23 km. This case is interesting because it did not occur due to a collision or influx of tectonic plates onto each other, but as a result of the splitting of the Indo-Australian lithospheric plate into two.

How to find out about a volcanic eruption and tremors on the island of Bali?

Often tourists planning to visit Indonesia get current information from the media, which is not entirely true. In order to know how safe it is to visit this country at any given time, you need to use the Indonesian official service, which monitors volcanic and seismic activity.

Photo taken from baliforum.ru

In addition, complete and up-to-date information can be obtained from social networks and forums where vacationers and people living there share photos from the scene.

What to do if you find yourself in the epicenter of an earthquake?

During an earthquake, there are certain rules of conduct. First, if you feel tremors, try to turn on any source of information to understand how serious the threat is. Secondly, don’t panic; you need to distribute the responsibilities for collecting all the essentials among family members to save time. When evacuating, you need to take with you documents, money, valuables, a bottle of water, some food and things that can be used as protection (rags, gauze bandages, etc.). If you feel tremors, you must leave the building, and this should be done using the stairs, not the elevator. Once outside, you need to go out into open space as soon as possible - away from buildings and structures.

If you are forced to stay indoors, then if possible, hide under a hard surface (table or bed) that will protect you from falling objects. Stay away from windows and closer to load-bearing walls. Do not use matches, candles or lighters, as... During an earthquake, a gas leak may occur.

The order to close Ngurah Rai International Airport on the island of Bali is in effect until at least the morning of November 29. The eruption has already forced the authorities to begin evacuating 100 thousand people, but tourists are still taking the potential danger quite calmly.

Was the eruption unexpected since so many tourists were stuck on the island?

Not really. Volcano Agung woke up at the end of August. In the 20s of September, its activity intensified so much that the authorities assigned the disaster the fourth, highest, level of danger and 96 thousand people.

Then the activity began to decline, people returned to their homes, but on November 21 there was a high, up to 700 m column of smoke above the crater. On November 25, the active phase of the eruption began.

About 40 thousand people have their homes at the foot of the volcano; in total, the island’s authorities announced the need to evacuate more than 100 thousand residents.

It is prohibited to approach the volcano within a distance of 8 km, and in some places this zone has been extended to 12 km.

A plume of smoke and ash from the eruption affected the area in which it is located. international Airport Ngurah Rai, which led to its closure and several hundred flights.

Could an eruption really be that dangerous?

Yes. According to the national Disaster Prevention Agency, current activity indicates a high probability of a powerful eruption.

Last thing powerful eruption the volcano occurred in 1963. Then, under lava flows and high-temperature volcanic gases, about one and a half thousand people died, tens of thousands lost their homes.

How many Russians are in Bali?

The embassy also informed that Indonesia has developed an application for mobile devices on Android - HelpmeBencanaAlam ("Help, Natural Disaster").

After registering in the application, you have access to a general chat with the participation of Indonesian emergency services, as well as the Center for Volcanology and Natural Disaster Monitoring. In the event of an eruption of the Agung volcano, an emergency alert will be sent to the phones of application users.

What should those who are just planning to fly to Bali do?

Tourists who have tickets to Bali in hand should decide for themselves whether to cancel the trip or still try to fly away on vacation.

In the first case, air carriers and hotels are ready to return the money Russian tourists, TASS executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze.

“Tourists have the opportunity to cancel trips - most tickets are regular. Carriers are currently returning money for tickets, and hotels are currently also returning money through their Russian partners,” she said.

So far, applications for cancellation of tours account for about 5% of the total number of tours sold for the coming dates, Lomidze noted.

For now, carriers are rescheduling flights from the Russian Federation to the island, which were supposed to take place in the coming days, to December 3 and 4, a representative of ATOR said.

However, not all airlines do this. Thus, according to ATOR, Singapore Airlines is offering two options for passengers who are scheduled to fly to Indonesia in the coming days. A tourist may decide to use the ticket at the risk of being delayed in Singapore until Bali airport is open. The second option is to return the tickets and return 100% of the money paid.

Victor Kudrevich