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Bali aims to boost disaster preparedness through certification program
An average of 600 earthquakes hit the resort island every month, or around 20 to 30 earthquakes every day.
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Terrifyingly beautiful: I Wayan Karja painted his take on Mount Agung's eruption as he witnessed the occurrence in Bali in late November last year. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
W
hen a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit the resort island of Bali in July this year, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) of the Westin Resort Nusa Dua immediately took action to calm their guests, showing the safe evacuation route and making sure that all the guests and staff were safe.
The team communicated with the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and related agencies. The ERT team also checked on structural damage that could require further assessment.
The Westin Resort Nusa Dua is among 64 Bali hotels that have been certified for disaster preparedness, issued by the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to those that have protocols on disaster mitigation.
The executive director of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) Bali chapter, Ida Bagus Purwa Sidemen, said that the certification program was necessary, especially after the island had been hit by several disasters in recent years.
“However, the certification program has yet to achieve success because there are thousands of hotels across Bali that haven’t been certified,” he said recently.
BPBD Bali head I Made Rentin said disaster preparedness certification requirements included an assessment on disaster knowledge, mitigation, preparedness, response capacity, as well as security. The program that started in 2014 did not only target hotels and tourism but also other business establishments on the island.
“We encourage more hotels and businesses alike to be certified in the near future,” Rentin said.
