Disaster preparedness in Indonesia: floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis

What to pack in a go-bag

• A waterproof bag (go-bag) that is easy to grab and carry.
• Important documents in a waterproof plastic folder, such as KTP-el, family card (KK), birth certificates, diplomas, land certificates and vehicle papers.
• Drinking water and long-life food, a first-aid kit and personal medicines.
• A torch or head torch, a whistle, a radio, plus a phone and power bank.
• A change of clothes and toiletries.
• A list of emergency and family phone numbers written on paper, not only saved in your phone.

How to prepare for a disaster

1. Check the risk where you live

   Open BNPB’s InaRISK at inarisk.bnpb.go.id, find your home, school or workplace, and switch on hazard layers such as floods, flash floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and forest and land fires. This shows which disasters you most need to prepare for.

2. Install Info BMKG and follow early warnings

   Download the official Info BMKG app (free on Google Play and the App Store) or use bmkg.go.id. BMKG issues weather warnings for the next 0–6 hours, ten-day (dasarian) heavy-rainfall warnings down to regency and city level, and earthquake and tsunami information.

3. Follow the volcano alert level if you live nearby

   Open MAGMA Indonesia (magma.esdm.go.id), run by PVMBG at the Geological Agency, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. Check the alert level of the nearest volcano and read the Recommendations (Rekomendasi) in its latest report, which give the radius or sectors you must not enter. Also download the volcano’s hazard-zone (KRB) map.

4. Pack a go-bag

   Fill a waterproof bag with important documents, first aid and medicines, long-life food and drinks, a light, a whistle, toiletries, a phone and power bank, and spare clothes. Keep it near the exit and check it regularly, especially food and medicines with expiry dates.

5. Make a family plan

   Agree a meeting point, evacuation routes and who collects children, older relatives or family members with disabilities. Learn what local sirens and warning signals mean, note the numbers of relatives outside your town, and join disaster drills run by your neighbourhood, school or BPBD.

6. Keep digital copies of documents

   Activate your Digital Population Identity (IKD) and save the electronically signed (TTE) PDF civil documents issued by Dukcapil. If originals are lost or damaged, digital copies make replacement easier. Never send photos of your KTP-el or KK to people or services you cannot verify.

Costs and emergency numbers

Free. InaRISK, MAGMA Indonesia and the Info BMKG app cost nothing, and calls to the emergency numbers 110, 112, 113, 115 and 119 are free under Communications Ministry Regulation 14/2018. The only cost is what you put in your go-bag.

The 112 service is run by regency and city governments (Communications Ministry Regulation 10/2016), so it may not be active where you live. Also save the direct numbers: 110 police, 113 fire service, 115 Basarnas search and rescue, 117 BNPB and 119 medical emergencies.

Volcano alert levels and PVMBG recommendations

PVMBG (the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation) at the Geological Agency, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, monitors volcanoes and sets their alert level: Level I Normal, Level II Waspada, Level III Siaga and Level IV Awas. The current list and each volcano’s reports are on MAGMA Indonesia, updated several times a day.

The level alone is not enough. Every report includes Recommendations, for example a ban on entering a radius of several kilometres around the crater or particular sectors where lava and pyroclastic flows may travel. The radius can change and often differs for residents, tourists and climbers. Reports also list the phone number of the volcano observation post.

During ashfall, BNPB advises wearing a mask or cloth over your nose and mouth, long sleeves, long trousers and a hat, and not wearing contact lenses. After an eruption, stay away from ash-covered areas, avoid driving on ashy roads, and clear ash from roofs because its weight can make them collapse. When it rains, watch out for lahars (volcanic mudflows) in valleys and rivers that rise on the volcano.

• MAGMA Indonesia: volcano alert levels ↗
• MAGMA Indonesia: hazard-zone (KRB) maps ↗

BMKG early warnings: weather, heavy rain, earthquakes and tsunamis

BMKG (the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency) issues several kinds of warning. Weather warnings are nowcasts for the next 0–6 hours covering moderate to heavy rain that may come with lightning and strong winds. Heavy-rainfall warnings are issued for each ten-day period (dasarian) and list the regencies and cities at Waspada, Siaga or Awas level.

The Waspada, Siaga and Awas levels in BMKG rainfall warnings are a different scale from volcano alert levels. In both, a higher level means a greater threat. When your regency or city is at Siaga or Awas for heavy rain, be alert for floods and landslides, especially if you live on a riverbank or below a slope.

BMKG publishes earthquake and tsunami information through InaTEWS (inatews.bmkg.go.id), its website and the Info BMKG app, which BMKG built and offers as a free download. The BMKG contact centre is (021) 196.

• BMKG: weather early warnings ↗
• BMKG: heavy-rainfall early warnings ↗
• BMKG InaTEWS: earthquakes and tsunamis ↗

During an earthquake and a tsunami threat

BMKG advises that if you are inside a building during an earthquake, protect your head and body from falling debris, for example by sheltering under a table, and run outside if you still can. Outdoors, keep away from buildings, power poles and trees, and watch for cracks in the ground. If you are driving, get out and move away from the car. In hilly areas, avoid slopes that might slide.

When the shaking stops, leave the building calmly by the stairs, not a lift or escalator. Check for injuries, fires, gas leaks and electrical faults. Do not go back into damaged buildings, because aftershocks are still possible, and do not trust reports whose source is unclear.

If you are on the coast and feel a strong earthquake, move away from the shore to high ground straight away; BNPB names a sudden fall in the sea level as another warning sign. BMKG teaches the 20-20-20 self-evacuation rule: shaking lasting more than 20 seconds is a danger signal, there is an estimated golden window of about 20 minutes before a local tsunami arrives, and you should reach ground at least 20 metres above sea level. On some coasts a tsunami can arrive sooner, so do not wait for a siren. Waves can come repeatedly; do not go back down to low ground until there is official word that it is safe.

• BMKG: what to do before, during and after an earthquake ↗
• BMKG: the 20-20-20 self-evacuation rule ↗

During floods and landslides

BNPB’s pocket guide advises moving to a safe area or shelter as early as possible, while flood water can still be crossed. Switch off the electricity at home (or ask PLN to cut it), move valuables up high, and do not walk near drains or channels where the current can sweep you away. If the water keeps rising, contact the village or ward office, the sub-district office or BPBD.

Learn BNPB’s early signs of a landslide: vertical cracks in a slope, groundwater suddenly appearing, well water near a slope turning cloudy, and small stones starting to fall. Places that have slid before, bare slopes and paths where rainwater runs off are more at risk, especially after days of heavy rain.

After a flood, clean your home with antiseptic and make sure you have clean water to prevent diarrhoea. Also watch for leptospirosis from flood water and mud: wear rubber boots and gloves when cleaning up, and see a health facility promptly if you get a fever after contact with flood water.

• BNPB: pocket guide to facing disasters ↗

Go-bag, documents and emergency numbers

A go-bag is a waterproof bag of basic supplies to help you survive until help arrives and to make evacuation easier. The Yogyakarta disaster agency (BPBD DIY), citing BNPB’s pocket guide, lists eight essentials: important documents, first aid and medicines, long-life snacks and drinks, a light, a whistle, toiletries, a means of communication and a change of clothes.

Keep original documents in a waterproof folder and make copies. Dukcapil can send electronically signed civil documents as PDF files that you can print yourself, and IKD keeps your identity on your phone. Digital copies are no excuse to be careless: never share your NIK or photos of your documents with people you cannot verify.

Emergency numbers: 112 (the single number, where active in your area), 110 police, 113 fire service, 115 Basarnas, 117 BNPB and 119 medical emergencies. Calls to emergency service numbers are free under Communications Ministry Regulation 14/2018.

• BPBD DIY: what goes in a go-bag (BNPB pocket guide) ↗
• Communications Ministry Regulation 14/2018: emergency numbers (JDIH BPK) ↗
• BNPB: 24-hour operations centre, Call Centre 117 ↗

Things to check carefully

Frequently asked questions