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Hotels on Kuta Beach have high disaster mitigation awareness: BNPB
According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a majority of hotel managers along Kuta Beach have completed a training and certification program held by the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
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A group of surfers walks on Kuta Beach in Bali on May 25, 2010. (Shutterstock.com/hkhtt hj)
H
otels around Kuta Beach in Bali are setting an example for other popular tourist areas across Indonesia by maintaining a high level of awareness about natural disasters and disaster mitigation.
According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a majority of hotel managers along Kuta Beach have completed a training and certification program held by the Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
Kuta is among the areas in Bali that are most exposed to potential tsunamis.
“However, not every hotel in Bali has participated in the training program,” said Sutopo as quoted by kompas.com.
Read also: High waves destroy all tsunami sirens in Gunung Kidul
"The program covers ways of determining the safety of a certain area, evacuation [plans] and creating shelters, so that hotel employees are well-informed about disaster mitigation and can help guide tourists to safety [in the case of a disaster].”
He added that clearly written signs pointing to safety and strong, earthquake-proof buildings are also some of the important things hotels should have.
Sutopo also urged hotels to build a shelter on the roof “because, in the case of a tsunami, it’s not about running as far away as you can but as high as you can”.
Another crucial tool to have is a community-based tsunami siren, which is not something that can only be funded by the government, he added.
"You can imagine that there are only 52 tsunami sirens built by BMKG [the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency] along the coast of Indonesia. There are also around 300 tsunami sirens developed by regional administrations. If tourism-related businesses also installed community-based tsunami sirens, which can cost between Rp 50 million [US$3,552] and Rp 100 million per 1-kilometer radius, it will, of course, be very useful," Sutopo said. (kes)
