The Jakarta Post reports that Bali will soon receive valuable assistance from the Australian government in preparing contingency plans for emergency preparedness in the event of man-made or natural disasters that might befall this island.
Impressed with Australian expertise in this area, Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika embraced offers from Australia to help establish a joint emergency center on the island. Said Pastika, "a number or experts from Australia will join our team to arrange various contingency plans and actions during any disaster."
Following a recent visit by Pastika to Australia to observe crisis management procedures in place down under, Pastika said: "I observed the Australian government's crisis management and disaster handling efforts. We can draw very good lessons from them."
The governor has identified key areas of vulnerabilities in Bali for natural disasters including tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides and earthquakes. Added to this mix is the threat of man-made emergencies, such as terrorism.
During a May tour of emergency facilities in Australia, governor Pastika visited the Darwin Royal Hospital Center which provided medical support to Bali following the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings. He also inspected police, fire and medical response facilities located in Canberra, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Bali opened a crisis center in 2010 that is staffed by members of the Indonesian Red Cross, the Indonesian Army, Bali police, hospitals personnel and members of the meteorology agency.
From balidiscovery.com (6/4/2011)
