What Two Recent Tsunamis Taught Us About Getting You Better Emergency Alerts

By: Dr. Jeannette Sutton, globally recognized expert on disaster communications, Associate Professor at the University at Albany, founder of The Warn Room and Ryan Reynolds, Assistant Director of San Mateo County Emergency Management.

On July 29, 2025, your phones buzzed with tsunami warnings across California, Alaska, and Hawaii. If you’re like most people, you might have wondered: What exactly should I do? Where should I go? How long will this last?

These questions matter because when emergencies strike, the alerts you receive can mean the difference between safety and danger. After analyzing this summer’s tsunami responses alongside December’s event, we’ve learned valuable lessons about how to make those critical messages clearer and more helpful for you and your family.

When disaster threatens, getting the right information to you quickly is our most important job. You shouldn’t have to guess what “Tsunami Advisory” means or wonder whether you need to evacuate. The science shows us exactly how to create alerts that help you make fast, informed decisions—and we’re working to apply those lessons consistently.

Recent events revealed both progress and areas where we can do better for our communities.

What We’ve Learned This Summer

Comparing July’s tsunami response to December’s event showed us persistent challenges in emergency communication. Too often, alerts use technical language that leaves you wondering what action to take. When you have hours of advance notice—as communities did during both events—those messages should give you clear, specific guidance about where to go and what to bring.

Counties are working to get this right. During July’s event, several jurisdictions explained what “Tsunami Advisory” actually means in plain language: dangerous waves and strong currents that could threaten lives and damage boats and structures. Others provided clear directions and used formatting that made key information easy to spot quickly.

Emergency alerting is evolving for several important reasons:

Better Technology Needed: Current systems have limitations, but there’s growing demand for more precise, location-specific alerts that give you information relevant to your exact neighborhood as well as one source for trusted information before, during and after disasters.

Alert Overload: Many communities receive frequent emergency notifications. We’re learning how to balance keeping you informed with avoiding the fatigue that can lead people to ignore important warnings.

More Complex Disasters: Climate is creating more complicated emergencies that affect multiple areas simultaneously, requiring more sophisticated approaches to keep everyone informed.

What Good Alerts Look Like

Research shows that effective emergency alerts include five key pieces of information: what the danger is, where it’s happening, what you should do, when you should do it, and who’s telling you. The best alerts explain technical terms, provide specific actions, and use clear language that anyone can understand quickly.

When alerts work well, you know immediately whether you’re in danger, what steps to take to protect yourself and your family, and how much time you have to act.

But alerts work best when you’re already prepared. Just like brushing your teeth or keeping your keys in the same place, building situational awareness into your routine—checking weather forecasts, staying informed about local conditions, and having emergency supplies ready at home, work, and when you travel—means you can act quickly when those critical alerts arrive.

How to Read Emergency Alerts: A Real Example

Let’s look at San Mateo County’s July 29th tsunami alert as an example of what to look for in emergency messages:

“TSUNAMI WATCH is in effect for Coastal San Mateo County. AVOID coastal areas, beaches, and waterways. NO evacuation is advised at this time. Tsunami activity in the Bay Area is estimated to arrive at 12:40 AM. Monitor local news and official sources for updates…”

Here’s how to quickly decode any emergency alert:

1. What’s the threat level? “TSUNAMI WATCH” – this tells you the severity. Watch means be alert but don’t panic.

2. Where does it apply? “Coastal San Mateo County” – specific location so you know if you’re affected.

3. What should you do? “AVOID coastal areas, beaches, and waterways” – clear, specific actions.

4. Do you need to leave? “NO evacuation is advised” – eliminates confusion about whether to flee.

5. When will it happen? “12:40 AM” – gives you a timeline to work with.

6. Where to get updates? “Monitor local news and official sources” – tells you where to stay informed.

This alert worked well because it answered the key questions you need during an emergency and also provided a link to our Tsunami Hazard Dashboard where you could quickly learn if you were in a hazard zone and take action to be safe, for many moving just a few blocks inland. When you receive any alert, quickly scan for these same elements.

Improvements We’re Making

Based on what we’ve learned, emergency managers are focusing on several improvements that will benefit your community:

• Clearer Language: Moving away from technical jargon toward plain-English explanations of what threats mean and what you should do.
• Consistent Messaging: Ensuring that you receive the same guidance regardless of which county or agency sends the alert, especially important when emergencies cross jurisdictional boundaries.
• Better Coordination: Developing systems so you don’t receive conflicting information from different sources during the same emergency.
• Communication-First Training: Making sure emergency responders prioritize getting clear, helpful information to you as quickly as possible.

Continuing to Improve

This September, San Mateo County will host advanced training for operational partners led by Dr. Jeanette Sutton focused on creating better emergency communications for our communities. We’ll practice and work together on using standardized templates, clearer messaging strategies, and solutions for the challenges that can leave residents confused during emergencies.

Emergency management is at a turning point. We have the research showing what works, we have improving tools, and most importantly, we understand that clear communication often determines whether emergency response succeeds or fails.

When the next emergency alert reaches your phone—whether for tsunami, wildfire, or flooding—our goal is ensuring you immediately understand what’s happening and what you need to do to stay safe. Because getting life-saving information to you when you need it most isn’t just what we do—it’s why we’re here.