The Fury of Nature Strikes Tourist Destinations: Flood Damage in Bali and Flores Island - Vulnerabilities Exposed by Floods and the Resilience of Communities

photo : © 2025 AFP (via Phys.org)

Contours of Disaster: Reality Etched by Numbers

Record rainfall from the early hours of September 10 rapidly submerged more than five districts, including Denpasar in Bali, and caused road and communication disruptions as well as human casualties on Flores Island. Initial reports indicated 13 dead and 6 missing, including information that 4 people had died in Flores' Nagekeo. The following days saw the death toll rise to at least 14, with some reports suggesting 21, as rescue and confirmation efforts continued to update the damage.Phys.orgReuters

The main road leading to the airport was temporarily flooded, but flights reportedly continued. The military and rescue teams were deployed to remove mud, clear debris, and search for missing persons, forcing hundreds to live in shelters.Reuters

Damage on Flores Island and the "Double Crisis"

Often overshadowed by Bali, Flores Island also experienced village isolation and casualties due to landslides. In Nagekeo Regency, multiple deaths and missing persons were reported, with floods impacting markets, small shops, farmland, and livestock. Recovery efforts are hampered by infrastructure damage and communication outages.NZ Herald

Social Media Captures the "Scene of the Torrent"

It wasn't just news cameras that visualized the situation initially. Videos of flooded main roads, swept-away vehicles, and torrents reaching indoors were uploaded in real-time on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, instantly shared with tags like "#BaliFloods." For instance, multiple posts depicting flooding in central Denpasar and damage around markets spread, conveying the urgency of the situation to the world.X (formerly Twitter)

On the other hand, there were notable comments from residents and travelers suggesting that urbanization in tourist areas, insufficient drainage capacity, and river blockages exacerbated the damage. Posts highlighting the problem of river debris and voices questioning urban infrastructure issues alongside flood footage show that the disaster is a mirror of "structural challenges."Instagram

Changing Monsoons, Overlapping Risks

Indonesia's rainy season typically runs from November to April, but recent years have seen changes in rainfall intensity and distribution, with an increasing frequency of short, intense rains hitting urban functions. This time, landslides eroding mountain slopes and inland flooding in urban areas coincided, with many deaths attributed to building collapses and river overflows.Phys.org

Vulnerability of Tourist Destinations: "Resilience" Behind the KPIs

For Bali, which relies on tourism revenue, restoring transport, markets, and accommodations is urgent. However, merely focusing on the speed of reopening as a KPI is insufficient. Investments in "resilient cities" are being questioned, including drainage bottlenecks, land use in catchment areas, building regulations in flood-prone areas, redundancy in power and communication, and the permanent establishment of shelters. Although flights continued, the flooding of airport access roads raised psychological barriers for travelers, shaking the "safety" brand.Reuters

Community Resilience and the Future

The videos don't just show the damage. They also share images of neighbors transporting the elderly by boat, shop owners continuing to pump out water, and volunteers spreading information about food distribution. While social media can be a hotbed for misinformation, it also serves as a hub that connects local "micro-needs" with government and NGOs. The disaster highlighted the reality where monsoon changes intersect with urbanization and tourism, and the resilience of people on the front lines.X (formerly Twitter)

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