I Nengah Berata, 79, and his younger brother I Wayan Langkir, 77, have spent the last five nights sleeping in the Swecapura Sports Hall in Klungkung regency, some 30 kilometers from their home in Sebuda village, Karangasem regency.

Sleeping in a shelter with thousands of other evacuees, the brothers could not shake off the thought of the eruption of Mount Agung they had witnessed more than 50 years ago. “This situation reminds me of the past. It was horrible,” Berata said on Sunday.

Berata and Langkir were among the residents on the slopes of Mount Agung who survived its last eruption in 1963, during which an estimated 1,100 people died. As an active volcano, Bali’s highest mountain has seen an increase in seismic activity and a growing magnitude of tremors in the past week.

The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) increased its alert level to the highest level late on Friday, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people who live around the mountain’s slopes. Amid the increased activity, the PVMBG could not predict when an eruption would take place, the PVMBG head Kasbani said.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that as of Sunday, at least 34,931 people in seven regencies had been moved to shelters and safer places, the agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said, adding that the number could grow even larger.

Despite the rumbles of the volcano and news of thousands fleeing their homes, tourism on the world famous resort island remains strong. Tourists could still enjoy their vacations on the Island of Gods despite hoaxes being spread on social media following the heightened alert status, the chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agency Association, I Ketut Ardana, said.

“There were some hoaxes aimed at causing panic. They triggered many questions from travel agents and operators across the world. But we have tried very hard to explain the actual situation. We are glad they understand,” he said.

Some misinformation said the eruption had started, while other hoaxes said two people had died in the eruption. Whereas, in fact, the volcano has not yet started to erupt. “As of now, the issue has yet to impact tourism. Yes, there have been a few cancellations. But nothing significant,” Ardana said.

Currently, local authorities have only closed down Bali’s largest temple and important landmark Besakih Temple to visitors since Saturday as the temple is located in the red zone, within six kilometers of Mount Agung’s peak. No one is permitted to enter within a 12-kilometer radius of the peak.

Meanwhile, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport had prepared possible disruption measures by transferring flights to neighboring Lombok Airport and Juanda Airport in Surabaya in case volcanic ash from Mount Agung disrupted flights, operation unit head of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Misranedi said.

Local authorities in the neighboring province of West Nusa Tenggara have also prepared a center for evacuees at Lembar seaport, West Lombok, to anticipate the impact of an eruption, local disaster mitigation office (BPBD) head Muhammad Rum said.

Escalating volcanic activities have also triggered communities and individuals across Bali and Jakarta to come together to provide assistance for the displaced people.

“It really touches my heart to witness this flow of help and goodwill,” an adjutant to the Klungkung regent, Nyoman Widana, said on Saturday.

Widana is currently tasked with managing the inflow of donations at the Swecapura stadium, which houses 3,700 evacuees.

Panca Nugraha contributed to this story from Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

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