Kelowna residents trapped in Bali by volcanic smoke and ash are taking each day as it comes, and readying themselves for worst case scenarios.
乌鸦传媒淚t is crazy down here right now,乌鸦传媒� said Gina Petrovich. 乌鸦传媒淎lthough it乌鸦传媒檚 still business as usual in many parts of the island, everyone is preparing for the worst.乌鸦传媒�
Petrovich乌鸦传媒檚 hotel recently gave her a list of procedures to follow should Mount Agung乌鸦传媒檚 eruption get worse. Among those warnings was a note that strong earthquakes may soon arrive.
乌鸦传媒淚 am actually pretty scared. I have been sleeping in clothes that are suitable for evacuation as well as have a bag packed with essentials in case I need to flee,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭he airport is completely closed until further notice which means my flight home in two days isn乌鸦传媒檛 looking too promising.乌鸦传媒�
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She乌鸦传媒檚 been told to monitor the news and check with her airline on a regular basis.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e seen these disasters in movies and the news but never thought I乌鸦传媒檇 be in the middle of an event like this,乌鸦传媒� she said.
Petrovich was only in Bali for two hours when Mount Agung awoke after what seemed like diminishing action.
She乌鸦传媒檚 since seen it rise back to a Level 4 alert.
乌鸦传媒� I乌鸦传媒檓 overwhelmed over here with the new news of magma appearing out the crater of Agung, and trying to figure out what this means for me as a traveler in Bali,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲ill I be stuck here? I have no idea what to expect really, I乌鸦传媒檓 just remaining as calm as I can and seeking all the knowledge I can for what is in store for me and everyone here.乌鸦传媒�
Kelowna resident Garth Allmand just arrived in Bali last weekend for a two-month stay with his wife.
Allmand said their resort accommodation is about 75 kms west of the volcano, and with the wind blowing east they are not seeing the huge plumes of smoke and ash overhead at the moment.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 mainly villagers who live on the slopes of Mount Agung that are being evacuated,乌鸦传媒� Allmand said. 乌鸦传媒淭he volcano in its benign state is about 12,000 feet high and very majestic on the island horizon. One of our favourite fishing villages to visit that is popular with tourists is on evacuation alert, so it might be some time before we can visit there again.乌鸦传媒�
Allmand, a frequent vacationer to Bali where his son-in-law operates his own jewelry manufacturing business, said some guests at the resort where they are staying have been waiting to leave but don乌鸦传媒檛 seem to be in a great panic.
乌鸦传媒淚f the wind changes and starts blowing in our direction that will change things perhaps, but at this point we are just relaxing and reading about it like everyone else,乌鸦传媒� Allmand said.
The Balinese volcano, the highest point on the island, has grown increasingly restless over the past week, with the alert system raised to its highest level early on Monday, as the nature of the eruptions has shifted from phreatic, or steam-based, to magmatic.
About 100,000 people in 22 villages within a six-mile red zone around the volcano have been told to leave immediately.
Authorities shut Bali乌鸦传媒檚 international airport down until further notice because of the ash. Petrovich and a few other Kelowna residents are among tens of thousands of tourists and residents stranded on the island.
An airport spokesman said 445 flights were cancelled, stranding about 59,000 travellers. The closure was to be in effect until Tuesday morning, although officials said the situation would be reviewed every six hours.
- with files from CP
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