Much of the world – and with it many locations to which European travellers and Europesure Travel Insurance policyholders would have travelled – were gripped by tsunami warnings in late July 2025. This followed an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 in eastern Russia, 78 miles (126 km) from Kamchatka. This created impacts in the North Pacific, felt across the Pacific Ocean.
Tsunami warning systems have been dramatically improved since the significant Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which massively impacted locations including Thailand, India and Sri Lanka, killing around 230,000 people. But what do European travellers need to do to take advantage of these?
Why you cannot ignore the risk on any coast
Many European travellers would not think to plan for a tsunami by signing up to alerts on their phone. Many do not even note the general emergency numbers in their destination. Yet, earlier this summer, tourists on the Greek island of Crete had to be evacuated to higher land, because of the threat of a tsunami. Tsunamis are not just phenomena affecting the Pacific or Indian oceans.
Did you realise, for instance, that Italy believes there is a 10% chance of suffering a tsunami within the next 50 years? The country is now working on a Tsunami Ready programme. In the UK, areas such as Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly could be impacted, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Making a tsunami plan
If holidaying by the coast, it pays to have some sort of tsunami plan in your head, working out where your safe zone on higher land would be, if you had to evacuate. Learn about all the local warning systems, if there are any, and be sure to follow local advice. The July 29 tsunami warnings in Hawaii saw gridlock on roads, as residents moved to higher land. How would you manage your evacuation, if told you had to move?
Staying by the coast and hoping for the best, should an alert be given, is not an option. Tsunami waves can reach several storeys high in height, so you need to head to at least the fourth floor of a building, to have any chance of escaping a wave. It is much better to move inland, for at least a mile, and to an elevation of 100 feet above sea level.
You should not return until you get the all-clear signal and remember that the first wave may not be the largest. Do also remember that such a wave can carry with it a huge amount of debris, picked up as it has travelled. That can also cause damage and injury.
Levels of tsunami warning that may be issued
There are four levels of tsunami warning to note, if you are in the USA. A warning means that you should move inland or to higher ground because dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents are possible. A tsunami advisory warning means that those in the water, or close to it, should get out of the water and stay away from beaches, as waves and currents could cause dangers. A tsunami watch alert, is something that means the local population – including tourists – should be prepared to act. An information warning means there is no threat or the threat has not been determined. In any country to which you travel, you should know what the levels of tsunami warning mean and try to sign up to alerts on your phone.
Nature’s tsunami signals
But not all tsunamis come with warnings, even today. Sometimes, there is simply no time and travellers have to be observant and heed the signals of nature. That is exactly what the 10-year-old schoolgirl, Tilly Smith, did back in 2004, when she managed to save around 100 people, by evacuating a beach. She had picked up on information provided in a geography lesson at the Dane Hill School in Surrey, by her teacher Andrew Kearney.
So what are those signs that European travellers can watch out for? Typically, the sea suddenly starts to act in an unusual way. It may start to recede to a distance that is not normal, exposing much of the sea floor and potentially stranding fish. When Tilly was observing the water, she noticed this happening but also a bubbling of the sea. This feeling that the waves are ‘boiling’ is something to note.
An audible signal is also usually provided, with people noting a ‘roar’ coming from the ocean, which sounds like a train or a plane.
If you note anything like this, act without delay. By the time you see a ‘wall of water’ approaching, it’s probably too late. In the most recent Russian earthquake generated incident, the waves travelled across the world with the same speed as a jet plane.
How tsunamis occur
When earthquakes on the sea floor have occurred, tsunami risks follow. This is because the earthquake displaces water and can cause waves sized 1-2 feet in height at the surface. Momentum then builds behind these waves, which reach deep water speeds of up to 500mph. When they reach an area at which the sea floor becomes less deep – as when approaching shore – a braking effect is felt at the bottom of the wave column and the speed rapidly drops.
This natural braking pushes the water upwards, to the surface, creating the wall of water that we know comes with a tsunami. The wavelength also decreases. Waves can reach a tremendous height, with those of 2004 said to be around 100 feet (30 metres). Should we ever experience another mega tsunami, as occurred around 105,000 years ago, the waves could be 1000 feet high. Tsunami wave heights tend to be greater when the incident coincides with high tide.
When the waves arrive on the shore, they are typically travelling at the speed of a vehicle, usually between 20mph and 30mph. That’s a speed that you cannot outrun, which is why moving away from the coast and inland, to a higher elevation, is so important.
It pays to stay alert at all times, if by the coast, or if you become aware of earthquake tremors or eruptions anywhere in the world that could impact your location.
What can you do if a tsunami impacts plans?
Should your trip have to be cancelled because your government warns against travelling to a tsunami-impacted location, or your accommodation is impacted, your travel insurance policy would protect your financial investment in your holiday, if you had bought it in advance.
With regard to other situations, the policy would have to judge things on a case by case basis. A travel accommodation provider should be the first port of call, if your first choice of accommodation were impacted. Should any irrecoverable costs be incurred, your insurance policy might be able to offer reimbursement.
The Russian earthquake and tsunami situation highlights how European travellers should buy travel insurance cover well in advance of a trip, preferably at the time of booking. If you are currently in the process of planning your next holiday, make sure you get your travel insurance protection from Europesure, the minute you’ve confirmed your travel arrangements.
