Heavy rain pounded the island of gods through the night, and by dawn, parts of Sanur were under water. What began as steady rainfall turned into flooding in Bali that forced residents and foreign tourists out of their accommodations. Some of the visitors took it in stride. “It is what it is,” they said, accepting the situation as part of traveling during the rainy season.
The flooding struck the Bumiayu street area in Sanur, Denpasar, on Sunday night (22/2). Water started rising around 10:00 p.m. local time. By 1:00 a.m., it had reached its highest level. The inundation lingered into the morning, soaking homes and guesthouses. Officials described it as the worst flooding in the area since December.
On Jalan Bumiayu III, the water climbed to waist height for adults. Moving through the street became difficult and unsafe. Residents and hotel guests had little choice but to evacuate.
Around 9:00 a.m., the Samapta Search and Rescue Team from the Bali Regional Police arrived after receiving a report from the Denpasar Disaster Mitigation Agency. Fourteen personnel were deployed, bringing four canoes and one rubber boat to assist with evacuations.
Rescue efforts focused first on the deepest flooded spots. Evacuees were directed toward the nearest accessible exits on Jalan Pungutan and Jalan Danau Tamblingan. Officers also searched other affected sections along Jalan Bumiayu to ensure no one was left behind.
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“So far, there are 5 guests evacuated, in the northern area 7 people were evacuated, including earlier a dog was also evacuated,” said SAR coordinator Gede Sutrawan.
In total, 25 people were evacuated, including both local residents and guests staying in nearby accommodations. The Bali Police SAR team transported them using canoes and the rubber boat. Amid the operation, several foreign tourists were seen recording the evacuation, greeting officers, and even chatting while standing in the floodwaters.
“Some of the responses were, well, it’s understandable, because of the weather. So the flood wasn’t man-made.,” said First Officer of the Bali Police SAR Team, Aiptu Agus Darmadi, during the evacuation.
According to DetikTravel, one Australian tourist named Mick said this was not his first experience with flooding in Bali during the rainy season.
“It rained heavily last night, what else could we do? I’ve been here several times in the past two years during the rainy season. It is what it is.,” he said while walking through the pooled water on Jalan Bumiayu.
For many in Sanur, it was a long night shaped by extreme weather. By morning, rescue teams had completed evacuations, and those affected were left to wait for the water to recede.
