How to Help People During a Tsunami in Indonesia

Quick answer: To help people during a tsunami in Indonesia, first move yourself and others away from the coast to designated higher ground or a safe tsunami evacuation building. After a strong earthquake, a long earthquake or other natural tsunami warning signs, do not wait for a siren, phone alert or confirmation before evacuating. Help people alongside your route if you can do so without delaying escape. Do not return to collect belongings, look at the water or attempt an untrained rescue in the waves.

The most useful help is often organised before the water arrives: show someone the evacuation route, help a person with limited mobility identify a safe plan, translate a short official instruction, and tell people inland where you are going. For serious injuries, entrapment or danger, seek local emergency help. Indonesia uses 112 as an integrated emergency number where the service is activated; 110 is a police contact and 119 is an ambulance/medical emergency contact. Local coverage and dispatch arrangements vary. Follow alerts from BMKG’s Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (InaTEWS) and local BPBD disaster offices.

First actions: the sequence that matters most

Recognise a natural warning. If you are in a tsunami-risk coastal area and experience strong or prolonged earthquake shaking, unusual sea withdrawal or a roaring ocean, treat it as a signal to leave the shore.
Protect yourself during the earthquake from falling objects where possible; then move promptly once you can safely do so.
Go inland and uphill. Use the signposted tsunami evacuation route to designated higher ground or an appropriate, officially identified vertical evacuation structure.
Help others while moving. Call out simple instructions, offer an arm if requested, keep children with responsible adults, and explain the destination.
Do not enter the beach, river mouth or low coastal streets. A tsunami may arrive as rapidly rising water, a series of strong currents or multiple waves—not necessarily one breaking wave.
Leave belongings behind. A bag, vehicle or document is not worth the minutes spent moving back into danger.
Do not wait for an electronic warning when there is a clear natural tsunami warning. Communications and sirens may be damaged or late.
Follow local evacuation leaders and BMKG updates. Reach safe elevation and stay there until the appropriate authority gives an all-clear.
Report people who need rescue with precise locations to emergency services; do not go back down to the shore to search on your own.
After the all-clear, help through official channels with reunification, water, shelter, medicines, accessibility and recovery.

BMKG’s earthquake and tsunami preparedness guidance specifically advises immediate movement to higher ground after strong or long shaking instead of waiting for official instructions. The BMKG educational page also addresses evacuation routes, warning systems and preparation.

Emergency numbers and official warnings in Indonesia

112 — Integrated emergency service: designated emergency call number in participating regions. It is organised locally and may not be active in every district or city; check your municipality’s arrangements before relying on it.
110 — Police emergency: useful for serious danger, security and reporting where police assistance is required.
119 — Medical/ambulance emergency: availability and response pathways vary by area; explain medical urgency and your location.
BMKG / InaTEWS: official earthquake and tsunami information and BMKG portal.
BPBD: the relevant district or provincial disaster-management agency coordinates local evacuation information and response. Find official contact details for the place where help is needed.

The Indonesian communications ministry’s 112 programme description says that 112 service centres are established by local governments and integrate police, fire, health and disaster responses. Because service availability is not identical everywhere, residents and visitors should identify the local emergency contact and BPBD office as part of their plan. None of these numbers replaces immediate self-evacuation from tsunami danger.

Why helping with evacuation is different from attempting a rescue

A person on a low beach may need to cover a short distance to a hill. Someone in a wheelchair may need a preidentified accessible route. A fisherman may already be offshore. A family in an upper-floor apartment may have a locally designated vertical evacuation option. The correct action is not identical for every person, and you should not invent one rule that ignores terrain or official plans.

During the minutes after a warning, the safe order is protect life, move away from danger, and pass useful information. Do not form a search party at the water’s edge. A rescuer can become trapped by fast current, debris or later waves; rescue teams then face two crises. If you know someone has stayed behind, note where they were last seen and give the information to authorities from safety.

How to help before an earthquake or warning

Build a simple two-route plan

For a coastal village, hotel or workplace, identify the nearest designated safe high ground or vertical evacuation building, the primary walking route and an alternative if a bridge, stairway or road is blocked. Use posted tsunami evacuation signs and local BPBD information—not a guessed uphill road that may pass through a river channel or unstable slope.

Walk through the route with the people who might need your help when conditions are normal. Count the difficult steps: stairs, crossings, narrow gates, areas without light and segments prone to falling objects after an earthquake. Ask the building management or local disaster office how people with mobility needs are expected to reach safety. Rehearsal can reveal problems that are impossible to solve under pressure.

Agree on a buddy system without making dangerous promises

A neighbour may want you to alert them after a quake. Agree on a realistic method such as knocking only if it is immediately safe, calling while moving or meeting at a named assembly point. Do not promise to return to a low coastal home after you have already reached safety. A helpful plan includes the conditions under which everyone evacuates independently.

Prepare for communication failure

Write down the meeting point and a family contact who lives outside the immediate hazard zone. Charge phones, store offline maps and know local warning sounds and route signs. Keep messages short: “Earthquake felt. Leaving for the designated hill shelter. Do not come to the coast.” A printed plan can survive a power or network outage.

Helping families during the initial evacuation

Children and separated families

If a child is with you during immediate danger, help them move to the safest available authorised location and inform shelter staff or emergency workers. Do not separate a child from an identifiable caregiver without a compelling safety reason. Write down key information privately and involve official reunification support. Do not publish the child’s face, name, sleeping location or health details in public posts.

Older adults and people with disabilities

Speak directly to the person and ask what assistance they want. Offer an arm, describe the route, help with a mobility aid when safe, or communicate instructions in a form they can use. Do not lift or move someone in a way that endangers both of you. If a designated refuge or accessible vertical route is blocked, alert trained staff or emergency services from a safe place and provide the last confirmed location.

People visiting Indonesia

Travellers in Bali, West Sumatra, Lombok, Maluku, Sulawesi, Java and other coastal areas may not know the local geography or signs. A short bilingual instruction—“Tsunami risk. Follow this sign to higher ground now”—can be lifesaving. Direct visitors to hotel evacuation plans and BMKG information, not rumours. Translation must preserve a warning’s place, time and action. Do not confuse a tsunami watch, an alert and an all-clear.

People with pets or service animals

Include animals in preparedness when possible and follow the shelter’s rules. Do not delay urgent escape or enter a dangerous zone to retrieve an animal. Service-animal arrangements should be discussed in advance with evacuation organisers; do not handle a person’s animal without permission.

Where is safer: hills, buildings or vehicles?

Higher ground designated by local authorities is the usual evacuation target. In some communities, authorised multi-storey reinforced structures are part of the vertical evacuation plan when reaching natural elevation is not feasible. Whether a building is appropriate depends on its engineering, location and local tsunami guidance—not merely the number of floors. A random hotel or shopping centre must not be described as a guaranteed refuge.

Walking along the marked route may be safer than being caught in traffic, but the best travel mode depends on local plans, terrain, distance, disability needs and road conditions. Do not block an evacuation street with a car, ignore a police road closure or head towards the coast to retrieve the vehicle. Official instructions take priority.

When the first wave is over, the danger may not be

One of the most dangerous mistakes is believing that an empty shoreline or receding water proves safety. Tsunamis can arrive in several waves, and later waves can be larger or produce dangerous currents. Do not return until the responsible authority has cancelled the warning and declared return safe. Even then, inspect the route and property hazards cautiously and only as instructed.

Remain at the designated safe location and listen for official announcements.
Use text messages where possible to let family know that you are safe; keep calls short.
Do not go to the waterfront to record videos, look for boats or inspect a shop.
Keep children away from flooded streets, fast-moving drains and unstable debris.
If someone is missing, give responders a private last-seen location and time.
Identify urgent needs at the shelter, especially serious injuries, essential medicines and accessibility.
Wait for an explicit local all-clear. A forecast or a lull in the waves is not an all-clear.

What people need after a tsunami

Safe water and health support

Seawater and debris can contaminate water sources, food and sanitation infrastructure. Help households find verified clean water supplies, functioning toilets and medical help. Food exposed to floodwater may be unsafe. Report serious injuries, breathing problems, severe dehydration or suspected wound infections to health professionals. Avoid untrained medical interventions and do not distribute prescription drugs informally.

A place to sleep and a way to contact family

Ask the officially operating evacuation centre what it can accommodate before moving someone there. A family may need a quiet corner, accessible bathroom, infant feeding facilities, essential medicines or help contacting relatives. Keep a record of requests only when authorised, and minimise personal details. A centralised, private check-in system is more reliable than dozens of public missing-person posters.

Protection from further hazards

The area may contain fallen electrical lines, damaged bridges, unstable structures, gas leaks, contaminated mud and sharp debris. Do not assume a road is safe because the water drained away. Do not enter damaged buildings without professional clearance. Disaster workers and local authorities should direct access to affected zones.

Respect and long-term continuity

People may have lost a home, business, fishing equipment, documents or family connections. Ask what they consider most urgent, and never use images of grief without consent. Help with verified assistance referrals, document recovery and school or work communication as the household requests. Some of the most important tasks begin days or weeks later when initial search-and-rescue operations wind down.

How people outside the affected coast can help

Do not drive into a closed coastal zone to deliver unsolicited supplies. The need for water, clothing, food, transport and specialised medical assistance changes quickly. Contact the relevant BPBD or a reputable humanitarian organisation for a current list and approved destination. A cash donation to an established relief appeal may enable local purchasing when supply routes are recovering.

The Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia, PMI) can be a route to recognised local support and volunteering; check its official channels for active appeals and opportunities. Volunteering in search-and-rescue, boating or structural debris removal requires training and an organised deployment. People without those skills can still contribute through authorised distribution, accessible communications, translation, safe transportation outside exclusion areas and ongoing family support.

Four situations: how to be useful without creating a new emergency

Situation 1: An earthquake has just shaken a busy beach

Do not stand around waiting for an app to refresh. Call out the nearest signed evacuation route and move inland/uphill with the people around you. Help a person who requests assistance as you go. Do not return to the shore to collect shoes, bags, motorcycles or photographs. BMKG advises immediate evacuation after strong or long shaking.

Situation 2: A friend says their elderly mother is still in a low coastal house

You may be frightened and tempted to go back. Instead, give the authorities the exact address, last contact time and any disability or medical needs while you remain at a safe location. If you can safely speak to her by phone, tell her to follow the local evacuation instructions. Do not promise a rescue or drive into the inundation zone.

Situation 3: A tourist cannot understand the announcement

Explain the next safe action in plain language, point to the official route, and accompany them only where safe. If you are unsure of the warning’s meaning, ask a local official or use the BMKG source rather than guessing. A mistranslated all-clear can be as dangerous as a delayed warning.

Situation 4: Someone posts a photo of the beach looking normal

Do not treat a photograph as evidence that the danger is over. The photo may be old or taken between waves. Check the issuing authority’s current warning and advise people to remain in designated safe areas until an explicit all-clear.

Common questions

Should I wait for a tsunami siren after a strong coastal earthquake?

No. In a tsunami-prone coastal location, strong or long shaking is itself a natural warning. As soon as you can move safely, evacuate to designated higher ground or an authorised vertical refuge without waiting for a siren or phone alert.

Can I rescue someone by swimming into tsunami water?

Do not attempt an untrained water rescue. Tsunami currents and debris are extremely dangerous. Move to safety and tell emergency workers the person’s precise location.

Is 112 available across Indonesia?

112 is the Indonesian integrated emergency-call number, but the government’s programme is implemented through local authorities and coverage can differ by district or city. Check the service locally; police 110 and medical 119 are also recognised contacts. No phone number guarantees an immediate response, so evacuate promptly.

Can we return once the water retreats?

No. A tsunami may involve multiple waves and dangerous currents. Remain at safe elevation until the appropriate authority lifts the warning and confirms re-entry arrangements.

How can relatives overseas assist?

Contact loved ones privately, avoid overwhelming local phone networks with repeated calls, donate through a verified channel, and assist with accurate official information. Do not publicly share unverified missing-person details, private medical records or speculative lists of casualties.

Related eduKateSG disaster-help guides: Typhoon in the Philippines · Landslide in Nepal · Tornado in the United States. Each guide is country-specific. Follow the official warnings and emergency services for your own location.

Official sources and related guides

Reviewed 4 November 2026. This is general Indonesia-specific tsunami guidance. It is not a live tsunami warning, a forecast of wave arrival, or certification that any building or evacuation route is safe. Check BMKG, local BPBD and on-site instructions, and evacuate immediately after natural warning signs.