The eruption of the Agung volcano in Bali.
The activity of the Agung volcano on the island of Bali in Indonesia continues to increase. Twice in the past week, the volcano has spewed ash into the atmosphere. On November 21, the ash was thrown to an altitude of 700 m, and on November 25, 1.5 km.
After the second ash eruption, the level of danger in the region was raised to the maximum level. The airport on the island of Lombok was closed. The area within a radius of 10 km from the volcano is extremely dangerous. In this regard, from nearby settlements 40 thousand people were evacuated. 60 thousand people continue to be at risk, not daring to leave their homes. In areas with high ash content in the air local population protective masks were distributed.
Most importantly, in any difficult situations, you should never lose heart. A person who knows how to maintain good spirits will always find a way out of any misfortune! Always be human in every situation! Uniting people is the key to the survival of mankind!
Despite the fact that often volcanic eruptions carry dramatic consequences, it is still possible to survive in these conditions if you know how to act in this situation.
During the period of activation of a volcano, in addition to a volcanic eruption, accompanying natural processes can occur, such as:
ejection of stones (so-called "volcanic bombs");
eruption of pyroclastic flows (a mixture of ash, stones and gases of very high temperature moving at high speed);
sudden floods, mudflows;
earthquakes.
If a volcanic eruption caught you at home or indoors:
Remain calm and don't panic. Remember that only self-control, joint cohesive actions greatly increase the chances of overcoming any challenges of nature.
Close all windows, doors, ventilation ducts and smoke dampers tightly;
Stock up on autonomous sources of lighting and heat, water, food for several days.
Move animals indoors.
Place vehicles in garages.
Do not hide in basements, as there is a high risk of being buried under a layer of dirt and ash.
If a volcanic eruption caught you outside the house, then take care to protect your body from ash and stones. Pay particular attention to respiratory protection and, if possible, wear a respirator or gas mask.
Thick warm clothing will help you avoid burns.
Try to stay in high places, avoiding valleys and rivers.
Help children and the elderly to reach them.
It is not worthwhile to get out of the disaster zone by car immediately after the ash falls, as it will be put out of action almost immediately by ash and soot particles.
It is recommended to clean the roof of a house or shelter from ash and other volcanic emissions, otherwise the roof structure may not support the enormous weight.
Be considerate of the people around you.
Good morning everyone. This is an early morning (6:20 AM) update for Gunung Agung. The eruption since last night seems consistently ongoing.

Timelapse # 1 is 12 minutes long, and up-close Timelapse # 2 is 5 minutes long. The locals are all sat across cliffs and on the beach, and it's a beautiful sight ...

At the time writing this (7:00 AM), there are still massive plumes of smoke coming out. At the time of publishing this (8:00 AM), Mt. Agung is still spewing out huge plumes of smoke. Clouds from the East are coming in quickly and likely to obstruct the view until later in the day.

I do want to add that Amed is safe and feels safe as well. The people here could use the support since for the most part this part of Bali feels wholly abandoned.

Location: Waeni's Sunset View, Amed, Bali
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The eruption of the Agung volcano in Bali. What happened on the Planet November 27, 2017 Mt. Agung eruption
Mt. Agung || Eruption Update for 11/26/2017 (Amed, East Bali)
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# Agung #Rt #Video #Bali #Indonesia #Island #Volcano #Weather #GlobalWarming #Planet #Agung #Eruption #Evacuation #Volcano #Agung #Indonesia #Bali #Mexico #VolcanoCoolEarth #GlobalCooling #GlacierPeriod2017 #MallCool #VulcanoVolcano #Amed #EastBali #GunungAgung #MtAgung #PuraAgung #Besakih #What HappenedOur Planet #What Happened # 27November 2017 # 27112017 #What to Do #What to DoWhen Eruption
1 Flooding in Kelantan. Malaysia
2 A meteorite over Great Britain. 11/24/17
3 Mud streams from the Agung volcano in Bali
4 Rockfall in Weinang in northwest Shaanxi province. China
5 In the suburbs of Yekaterinburg, a meteorite falling was filmed. Russia
6 Hail in Berwick. United Kingdom 11/25/17
7 Floods in southern provinces Thailand
8 A truck driver demolished a pedestrian bridge with people. No one was miraculously hurt

I don't believe in fate. I believe in solutions. And you?

Ash cloud

The eruption of Mount Agung in northeastern Bali began over the weekend. As a result, nearby resorts and villages were covered with a thin layer of ash. Dark gray clouds above the summit of the volcano were visible in the island's capital, Denpasar, and even from the neighboring island of Lombok.

Lava flow ejection

As night fell, a bright glow from the crater illuminated an ash cloud that rose 6,000 meters above the summit of Mount Agung. It began showing signs of activity back in September, prompting local authorities to raise the volcano's hazard status to emergency and evacuate 140,000 people living nearby. However, later, on October 29, the danger level was lowered.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Highest point in Bali

The Agung volcano is 3142 meters high and is the highest point of the island. As a result of gas and ash emissions, the operation of two airports at once was stopped - on the island of Bali and on the neighboring island of Lombok.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Paradise under the ashes

Bali island - main tourist centre Indonesia. Beautiful ocean beaches, temples and lush forests attract about 5 million tourists a year. But according to Made Sugiri, a representative local hotel Mahagiri Panoramic, in recent months, the number of visitors has decreased: "We are out of the danger zone, but, as in other resorts in the region, of course, the eruptions are causing an outflow of tourists."

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

"Still Safe"

The Indonesian Emergency Management Agency points out that Bali is "still safe" for tourists. The agency said in a statement that the emergency status for Agung remained at 3 over the weekend (one point below the highest hazard indicator). At the same time, despite a number of eruptions, volcanic activity remains relatively stable.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Airports closed

The situation was different with the status of air travel over the island - on Sunday, November 26, the level of danger here reached the highest - red - mark. Although many flights continued to operate, hundreds of people were stranded. As a result, the airport on the island of Lombok was first closed, and then the main one. international Airport Ngurah Rai in Bali.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Exclusion zone around the volcano

As a result of the latest lava outbursts, about 25,000 people have fled their homes. The authorities urged everyone inside the exclusion zone within a radius of 7.5 kilometers from the volcano's crater to evacuate immediately. Mount Agung is one of over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Its last major eruption, which happened in 1963, killed more than a thousand people.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Magma and ash

Volcanologists described the renewed activity of the Agung volcano on November 25 as a phreatic explosion, that is, an eruption with vaporization of smoke caused by the heating and expansion of groundwater. On November 26, authorities said that, judging by the settling of the ash, a magmatic eruption had already begun.

The eruption of Mount Agung in Bali

Bali precautions

"Mount Agung is still spewing ash, but we need to watch closely and be prepared for a more powerful, explosive eruption," warns Indonesian volcanologist Gede Suantika. Soldiers and police are handing out protective masks to people in nearby villages and resorts.

Authorities tourist island Bali, Indonesia has raised the threat of a volcanic eruption to its highest level as Mount Agung continues to emit ash and smoke.

Mud volcanic streams descend along the slopes of the mountain.

According to the Voice of America, the authorities have expanded the danger zone around the volcano, in some places up to 10 kilometers. This means that up to 100 thousand people can get into the evacuation zone.

A spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Sutopo Purvo Nugroho, warned local residents that the lava, molten rock that volcanoes erupt, "will undoubtedly pour down the slopes."

Authorities say the noise from the volcano can be heard several kilometers away, and a fire can be seen at its summit.

Volcanic ash forced authorities to close the island's airport on Monday night. 445 flights were canceled, which disrupted the plans of 59 thousand people. Upset passengers say they haven't received any advance notice.

At the same time, as reported Reuters Some passengers decided to take advantage of the situation and went to the observation deck to see the eruption.

Bali Island is the main tourist destination Indonesia, it attracts about 5 million visitors a year for its Hindu culture, beaches and lush green vegetation.

Mount Agung began to rumble and throw ash clouds into the sky on Tuesday.

The Pacific Ring of Fire passes through Indonesia. It is an area of ​​tectonic plate collisions that cause frequent volcanic and seismic activity.

The last time the eruption of Mount Agung took place in 1963. Then because of him, more than a thousand people died.

The highest level of eruption threat also applies to the Sinabung volcano on the island of Sumatra, which has been active since 2013.

All new updates - at the end of the article

In Bali, the Agung volcano woke up in September. The most high point islands and the most revered mountain by the Balinese: for them this volcano is sacred. And this volcano, however, has always been active, so of course it is not entirely accurate to say about him that he woke up. But it sounds more significant? :-)

One way or another, the magma inside the volcano is making its way higher and higher, the area around the volcano regularly shakes (the other day there was the strongest earthquake a little more than 4 according to Richter). And although no one can predict the date of the eruptions (even with an accuracy of a month), the activity inside the volcano increases so regularly that everything can happen at any moment. About a week ago, they began to evacuate villages living on the slopes of the volcano. The local Ministry of Emergency Situations declared an area within a radius of 12 km from the volcano dangerous to visit. (Upd. By December: eruptions have begun, but not large, everyone is waiting for larger ones).

News sites around the world have inflated this situation to unprecedented heights (almost to headlines like "the eruption of volcano agung is the beginning of the end of the world"). Now you can't even go to Facebook so that Agung-fm doesn't start there :-)

Before last moment I was not going to write anything about Agung in the blog at all (enough announcements in social networks). But then I realized that after all, it is very difficult for a normal person to understand all this non-informational confusion. God forbid 1% of adequate information without panic. I myself have figured out the topic of volcanoes today so much that a little bit more and you can go to study to become a volcanologist. (Joke)

But if it's no joke, then in this article I describe in detail how things are with the awakened volcano in Bali. Here is everything you need to know about Agung in general and about volcanoes in general. The information is backed up by authoritative sources, well, by the way, those who read this blog already know about my meticulousness in terms of information :-)

Add new information to the end as soon as it appears. Also at the end will be given official and various other sources, whose opinion can be trusted. Here we go!

Indonesia has over 100 active volcanoes

For uninitiated people, any mention of the words volcano and eruption in one sentence automatically means panic. For those living in Indonesia (and neighboring countries close to the Ring of Fire, that is, the Pacific volcanic ring of fire), volcanoes are almost an ordinary phenomenon. There are more than 300 volcanoes along the perimeter of the ring (almost half of them are in Indonesia), each of which erupts from time to time, causing earthquakes or tsunamis. Scary? Yes, but in moderation.

It was a small piece of history to at least understand how it was then. (By the way, in addition to 1963, there is also evidence that Agung also erupted in the following years: 1843, 1821 ?, 1808)

Below is a video about how it all looked in 1963. An interesting remark about the fact that the majority of people died because instead of evacuating, they considered it necessary to continue praying to the gods and doing ceremonies, appeasing the volcano's spirits. In this sad sense, #balitakoibali!

A volcanic eruption is not always a one-time attraction

The photo above is the Sinabung volcano in Sumatra (another island in Indonesia), which, for example, has been erupting since 2015. And so he again decided to betray. The photo is just fresh, the other day it was literally taken :-) This volcano either calms down, then gives out again. Who knows what our Agung will decide to do?

The hardest part about the whole volcano situation (besides the fact that no one knows when it will happen) is that no one knows how long this will all last.

For clarity, I will give just such a table with world statistics. In the left column is the duration of the eruption, in the right column what percentage of the eruptions falls on this duration. For example, only 10% of volcanoes “erupted” in a day and calmed down. And a whole third of volcanoes erupted within 6 months. An example of how this happens and how the processes are extended in time, I just gave in the case of the eruption of the 60s.

Source: http://www.volcanolive.com

What should tourists do?

First: turn off panic mode and follow the official announcements.

Second: to use trusted sources of information and watch less TV and read the tabloids. Because those guys have a task to raise ratings from viewing / reading, and not to provide verified information or educate people. I will write about verified sources below.

Third. The island (and country) is preparing for the possible consequences. Yes, Indonesia is certainly not western world and here everything is a little through one place, but if there was a real risk of a threat to the entire island, tourists would have been evacuated long ago. But they are not evacuated and the local Emergencies Ministry constantly reminds that if you are in the tourist south and do not climb to the volcano itself, then there is no danger. Therefore, if you are already in Bali or are just going, just read the article in order to understand all the risks and calmly continue your vacation.

Fourth. On the this moment the airport is functioning, planes take off and arrive. No one closed it in September and October, but UPD closed it for a few days in December. For information: there is also a classification for airports in terms of danger in the event of an eruption. (It is dangerous for aircraft engines to get into the engine of volcanic ash). The aviation hazard classification levels are as follows: green-yellow-orange-red. Now the level is orange (raised on September 26), which, as in the case of a traffic light, means “attention”. Red is when flying is prohibited as there is volcanic ash in the air. Now there is no ash, because there is no eruption itself. Therefore, until there is an eruption, flights will not be canceled. And as you understand, since there is no date for the eruption, it means that no one has information about whether your flight to Bali will be canceled, which will take place, say, in 2 weeks (yes, these questions are all asked by each other all the time, but no one has an answer to they cannot be). What to do? Check the information closer to the departure, in what status the airport is, if in red it means it is closed. If you are again transferred to yellow / green, then you can generally relax. Your airline knows this information for sure, it is better to find it out there.

By the way, what will happen if the airport is closed? Now (again, official information), many other airports in Indonesia will be ready to receive tourists if landing in Bali is not possible. Of course, getting not to Bali, but to another island in Indonesia is hardly a solution to the problem for a vacation, but at least you can not worry about the fact that you will land somewhere :-) There is a bus connection between the islands (not the best), but with Lombok can be reached by speedboat. There are also boats to east Java, although it takes one and a half to two hours. I think there will be options.

Fifth, if you are wondering whether or not to cancel a trip to Bali, then no one here except you will answer this question. If I had tickets on hand and I faced such a choice, I would not cancel anything. But I am me. I am not an alarmist and if necessary I am a bit fatalist. Most importantly, I have studied enough information to know all the possible risks (and I know that there are not so many of them). But if you understand that you will not be able to calmly rest, thinking every day about the volcano and that in Bali you will grab your heart and drink valerian, then why expose yourself to such stress? Even if you lose money for an unreturned ticket, why torture yourself. I am writing this seriously. Your (nervous) health is more important than any money. Study the information (this article will help you) and do as your intuition tells you. We all know those wonderful situations when a person for some reason missed the plane, and this plane fell and everyone died. Perhaps your intuition knows better?

Sixth, if you have not yet taken tickets to Bali, it may be worth waiting for the resolution of the situation and not taking it. What should you wait for? Converting the status of a volcano (not an airport) to another status. The status is now red AWAS / Danger. If transferred to orange, then the risk of an eruption is temporarily removed. Yellow and green mean you can relax at all. Status information can be viewed on the Magma Indonesia website (map) or in the phone app of the same name.

Seventh. I myself (like many other expats) are now in Bali, we do not plan to “run away” anywhere and just continue to live our normal life, watching the activity of the volcano through a webcam :)

Will ash cover us and suffocate from the gases? Or not?

Everyone is afraid of a volcano, and most of all I am afraid of human stupidity, the inability of people to think in panic mode and, most importantly, the unwillingness to go and get acquainted with the information before turning on this very panic. When I write something on social networks on the topic “calm down, you panic” I am usually accused (openly or behind the eyes) that I am too frivolous about the situation. But for some reason no one who considers himself so “serious” did not go and enlighten himself about volcanoes. How everything happens, what are the risks, what is dangerous and what is not, how other eruptions took place. This should be read not on news sites, but on the sites of volcanologists explaining the reasons for the action of volcanoes. On the websites of the Ministry of Emergency Situations different countries(especially countries in the ring of fire area, here these volcanoes occur constantly and methods of action in emergency situations have already been developed) But usually, the less a person knows, the more stupid things he continues to share on Facebook, re-uploading the results of other people's panic attacks.

For example, the biggest panic attack by expats living in Bali was about which gas mask to buy and at what point to wear it so as not to die from toxic gases. It's not even funny. This is the idiocy of the tenth leveled. People spent hours on these discussions, but no one went and read about how these gases are in general a real danger for people located 50 km from the volcano. Even Moreover... The other day, someone posted a link to an online store where it was necessary to urgently run to buy special masks, which are the only ones that will save us from death.

I went to the mask manufacturer's website and read: for occupational hazzards. And I realized that people who panic out of nowhere are more terrible than people who are not able to learn any language other than their native language, while living abroad :-) So for these people I would like to separately explain that these masks are made for those who are whose work / profession is associated with volcanic activity. That is, those who hang out at the crater of the volcano and monitor its activity, those who will work as lifeguards or are simply at risk during / after the eruption, etc. In the instructions for the masks, just in case, it is even highlighted in bold and red that these masks are not for the general public, that is, not for the population. And only for those whose work (= occupation) is associated with danger (= hazzards).

Let me explain. It will be quite difficult to die from the toxic fumes of the Agung volcano while in your villa in Seminyak. More chances to slip on the side of the pool and pierce your head :-) Because if you are not at the forbidden distance of 12 km from the crater, then toxic gases will not happen to you. And masks are needed for completely different reasons, but more on that below.

The next point to which I want to draw your attention is that people confuse everything. Lava and flows (pyroclastic) are dangerous, but God forbid they will creep 5-10 km from the volcano. Above, I gave the distance of the tourist areas from the Agung crater. We also found out about gases that they cannot go far.

About ashes and masks

The only thing that remains is volcanic ash. Scary scary ash. That will cover the earth and we will all die. Ash, yes, it can fly very far, and the larger the eruption, the more ash. But in order for the ash to be a real inconvenience and danger, you need to either be right next to the volcano, or if a very large explosive eruption occurs and the wind will blow in the direction where the tourist south is.

The most important thing we need to know right now is that ash is NOT toxic. I’ll tell you even more: volcanic ash contains natural fertilizers (and you think why there is such green and active vegetation around the Agung volcano, all thanks to the way it was fertilized in the 60s). And I'm not kidding. Volcanic ash = fertilizer. And much more. If you now go to the beloved site iHerb.com and type volcanic ash in the search, you will see a lot of products containing something volcanic - face masks, ash soap and so on.

(For those who do not believe me in the safety of ash, there is an official document from New Zealand (they also know a lot about volcanoes) confirming this information.)

Ashes pose a hazard in completely different ways, which can be partially or completely avoided. For example, in terms of “inhaling” ash, the risk is the same as if you inhale dust. Asthmatics will have a very hard time, everyone else is very uncomfortable. Ashes are not removed from the lungs, so masks will be needed in order to protect the throat from the ingress of ash (= dust), and not to escape toxic poisoning. Therefore, you do not need a gas mask, you need a good tight mask that will stop ash particles from entering your lungs.

The same with your eyes, imagine you are in a dust storm (or on a kitespot, where the wind (and sand with it) blows 30 m / s and you are lying on the beach sunbathing) - all this will be in your eyes. Need a mask / goggles to protect your eyes.

At the moment (upd. Mid-December) none of the outbursts from the Agung volcano carried ash either to Ubud or to the tourist south. Those who rushed to buy masks most likely never unpacked them.

That is, it is not superfluous to have a mask and it will be superfluous to think over whether your house is airtight enough if the ash still blows in your direction. Well, that is, if you have these ventilation windows in your house, as in all houses in Bali, you should think about how you will close them in case of something. Since in the case of strong ash fall on some areas, it is recommended at first to simply “cork up” in the house and wait until everything at least settles. Again, IF IT HAPPENS AT ALL.

If you are asking yourself what kind of mask you need and how everything might look in case of volcanic ash fallout, then something like this:

Photo from the Internet from the eruption in Chile. NOT WITH BALI :-)

Other risks with ash. If you are close to a volcano and there is a lot of ash, it will cover everything with an even layer (sometimes very thick), from which, for example, the roof can collapse and fill you up. And the roofs will need to be cleaned of ash. But ironically, there is such statistics that some of the deaths after a volcanic eruption comes from the fact that a person climbed onto the roof to clean it, fell from the roof and broke his neck. That is, you never know where the end awaits you :-)

Don't forget about the wind

In the case of the amount of ash, no one can predict anything. On the positive side: now is the rainy season and the wind usually blows from the west, which means that all the ashes will be blown away not in Bali, on the contrary, from Bali in the direction of Lombok and the Lombok Strait. But if the wind changes to the one that blows in the dry season, then oh-oh-she will just carry it from the volcano towards the tourist south.

But no one can tell you now how much ash there will be, how much it will close you in your particular hotel. If you are not ready to take the risk, it is better not to go to Bali yet.

UPD. I will clarify once again that as of today, December 14, no ash has been observed in the tourist south at all and is not observed. And in general, the life of tourists has not changed in any way, well, except that now the ascent to the Agung volcano had to be postponed until better times. But at the same time, the volcano Batur remains, on.

What to do if a massive eruption happens and the ash will still bring to the south, where expats live and tourists rest:

Here is an instruction from the BNPB (Indonesian Emergencies Ministry), translated by Mikhail Tsyganov(our local Indonesia specialist).

It concerns exactly what to do with the ashes that will cover us :-) In a nutshell, it all comes down to the fact that you need to seal your house from ash and dust and, if possible, wait inside the house until the ashes settle. This will be the least contact with the ash. At some point, the ash will settle and then it will be safer to go outside.

1. Immediately close all windows and doors, block ventilation ducts.
2. Turn off the air conditioners, go to closed rooms that are located ABOVE the ground.
3. Close the puffs in the door frames with damp towels.
4. When going outside, wear clothes with long sleeves and legs, use masks and glasses (not contact lenses)
5. Ashes are especially dangerous for those suffering from respiratory diseases and children, so it is better for them to stay indoors at all times.
6. After the explosion, try not to travel to the places where ash falls most heavily.
7. If necessary, clean the ashes from rooftops as their weight can cause collapses
8. Help friends and neighbors and animals.

On my own I will add:

• If you don't have a mask, but ash is pouring in, then you can simply soak a rag in water and wrap your face with it. Ashes should not enter the respiratory tract or eyes. The skin can also be allergic.
• Ash poses a danger to all electronic gadgets, they should be covered with film or something else, especially if they are outside (for example, an air conditioner or a washing machine).
• In addition, earthquakes are possible, in case of strong aftershocks, on the contrary, it is impossible to be inside the premises (it is better to be in the ashes than to die under a collapsed house). Well, in case of strong earthquakes, it is worth pulling out all the electronics from the sockets.
• Remember about animals, it is better to keep them indoors.

Airport closures are a major inconvenience during an eruption

In addition to ash, which may or may not “inflate” the whole of Bali, the main inconvenience that a volcanic eruption can cause is the closure of the airport or flight restrictions.

For example, at the beginning of December, at the beginning, they canceled some of the flights - towards Australia - since the ash was just “blowing” in the direction where the plane from Bali to Australia was supposed to fly. A little later, the airport was closed altogether for three days. Then they reopened and the flights resumed.

What happens if the airport in Bali is closed? Your airline will either take you to another airport in Indonesia on the neighboring islands and then take you by land and water transport to Bali, or offer you to rebook your ticket for other dates, or even refund your money. Everything will be at the discretion of your a / c, but according to the experience of December, very many a / c willingly returned money and changed the dates or directions of departure (so that, for example, instead of Bali, they would be sent to Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines).

That is, hypothetically, you will not get stuck in Bali itself or on the way to it if the airport is closed. In practice, I'll tell you that the last thing you want on your vacation is to get to Bali on the checkpoints or sit for hours or days at the airport for a transfer, waiting for your airline to come up with your option to get to Bali.

At the moment, there are three main airports that will receive Balinese planes if the airport is closed (remember, at the moment it is open, information from December 14): this is an airport on the island of Lombok and two airports on the island of Java - this is Surabaya (Surabaya ) and Jakarta.

The crossing from Lombok to Bali will take about 8 hours. Maybe more as there are sometimes queues for the ferries that run between Lombok and Bali. As a life hack, it is easier to get there by speedboat, as it takes 2.5 hours instead of 5 hours on the ferry. Whether these boats will go or not, you will need to find out on the way. By the way, if there is a lot of ash, then most likely the Lombok airport will also be closed.

Getting from Java is hell multiplied by ten :-) In normal traffic mode, the road to Surabaya by car takes 12-13 hours. According to the experience of the last closure of the airport in Bali, there were traffic jams + a lot of people who wanted to leave like that, as a result, people spent 15-16 hours on the bus to Surabaya. Jakarta is even further away. It takes a day to go there by car, I think even longer by bus. In general, both of these modes of movement will not bring you joy at all. Better to wait altogether and not fly to Bali / Bali while the airport is closed.

And most importantly, we must be prepared for the fact that the airport may be closed again in the coming months. A major eruption has yet to happen and is about to happen.

Summary. Fly or not to Bali?

If you have read this article and still cannot decide whether to fly to Bali or not, then I would say not to fly and not plan a vacation to Bali in the coming months. Why is it so categorical? Because, it seems to me, if you are confused by the idea of ​​flying to an island with an active volcano, then why rape yourself. If you frantically check the news every day and think that something will happen on your trip, and even before the heap you are afraid of eruptions and tsunamis, and you jump on the spot from each push, then you should probably postpone the trip to Bali.

If you have read this article, you already have a ticket and you have the feeling that it is quite safe to fly to Bali, then I will support you in this - if I were in your place, then I would not cancel any trips. Grab your mask, check with your airline that they haven't canceled flights and welcome to the island!

If you thought about flying to Bali in March-April and want to know if it will be safe then, then you should be upset: it is not known when a major eruption will happen. Reread the history of the 60s again. There eruptions took place with a difference of several weeks and months.

In general, guys, I have provided you with a huge amount of information about volcanoes and the situation with Agung. But I cannot make a decision for you.

And finally. Helping local villages around the volcano

While we all (tourists and expats) worry in vain about the ash and toxicity of the volcano's exhausts, the real trouble is already being experienced by the locals, who were quickly evacuated from their villages on the slope of the volcano. Yes, it seems to be great that they were evacuated and their lives are not in danger. But now they are all in temporary campgrounds, many have been already for almost a week, and are just waiting. They are waiting for something to happen and it becomes clear what will happen to them next. After all, while they stupidly cannot return home and how long they will not be able to, is also not clear.

These people will live in evacuation camps until the volcano explodes or the hazard status is removed. These people have a hard time, therefore, against the background of our problems “is it worth canceling a vacation in Bali” - these are really real problems. Imagine, you were dragged out of your apartment, taken far away, given you a mattress in the gym among the crowd of others like you said, wait for new orders.

The government and local NGOs are collecting donations and all kinds of assistance with might and main. From various sources, I saw information that at least people are more or less provided with mattresses and food, but you yourself understand how much this is all at a minimum. And how long will it last? It may take a long time to wait for the eruption.

In general, if you want to participate, then there are guys like these who are collecting donations in an organized manner.

Well, or at least show respect for the grief of other people, stop panic in the "what about my trip to Bali" mode. As I wrote above, if the tickets are on hand, study the information and make your informed decision. If there are no tickets, then it may be worth waiting for the development of the situation. Imagine, if an eruption does occur, let the government spend its energy and money better on locals than to deal with the panic of tourists and to allocate ships-trains-steamships to transport you from one island to another if they are closed the airport.

PR-service BNPB (Ministry of Emergency Situations) on Twitter (constant updates):