Tsunami Expert: Evacuate Without Waiting for Warning

Tsunami Expert Urges Immediate Coastal Evacuation Without Waiting for Official Warnings

November 6, 2026

3–4 minutes

SANTA ANA, CAGAYAN — Coastal residents who observe natural signs of a possible tsunami should evacuate immediately rather than wait for an official warning, Indonesian disaster official Dr. Abdul Muhari said during an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) dialogue on November 5, 2026, held in observance of World Tsunami Awareness Day.

Muhari, identified in a Philippine News Agency report republished by The Chronicle as Deputy Minister for Prevention of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority, warned that tsunami waves can reach shore before formal alerts reach communities.

Natural signs and evacuation advice

Muhari said possible tsunami triggers include undersea earthquakes, submarine landslides and volcanic activity. He cautioned that tsunamis are not always preceded by exceptionally strong shaking or visible retreat of the sea, and emphasized the importance of recognizing prolonged shaking.

He presented a “20-20-20” preparedness principle: ground shaking lasting more than 20 seconds should prompt immediate evacuation, with an illustrative goal of reaching approximately 20 meters of elevation within 20 minutes or less, depending on available escape time. This was Muhari’s cited guideline, not a universal safe-elevation standard or a requirement issued by PHIVOLCS. Residents should follow locally designated tsunami evacuation routes and safe zones; evacuation should not be delayed to complete a 20-minute countdown or reach an arbitrary elevation.

Muhari also cautioned that even relatively small tsunami waves can carry dangerous currents and debris. The OCD highlighted hazard education and preparedness exercises and called for continued attention to official advisories from PHIVOLCS and disaster-risk offices.

PHIVOLCS advice for Philippine coastal communities

PHIVOLCS guidance in its June 2026 Sarangani earthquake primer identifies the natural tsunami warning signs as strong ground shaking (“shake”), a sudden rise or fall in sea level (“drop”), and the sound of incoming waves (“roar”). People who experience these signs in low-lying coastal areas should move away from the shoreline to higher ground immediately.

In an October 13 Philippine Information Agency report, PHIVOLCS Deputy Director Dr. Ma. Mylene Martinez-Villegas similarly advised residents to evacuate after strong or prolonged coastal shaking without waiting for an official alert. The October 13 PIA report also describes unusual ocean sounds and sudden changes in sea level as natural tsunami warning signs.

Why it matters to WestValleyFault.com

Locally generated tsunamis can arrive before warnings reach nearby communities. The November 5 OCD dialogue reinforces a key element of earthquake and tsunami preparedness: coastal residents must recognize natural warning signs and move promptly to designated safe areas. The guidance concerns preparedness and is not an alert about an ongoing tsunami or a prediction of an imminent earthquake.

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