Natural disaster abroad: follow local authorities, send a sign of life

Local authorities know the danger zones, shelters and evacuation routes; travellers do not. That is why their instructions take priority – over your own plans, over advice from social media and also over tips from home. Hotels and tour operators often pass these instructions on and organise additional help for their guests.

Your country's embassy or consulate has a different role: it can inform relatives, replace lost documents and in some situations help with leaving the country. But it is not a rescue service. With injured people or acute danger, always call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

Many foreign ministries offer registration for travellers, such as the German crisis preparedness list ELEFAND or the US STEP programme. Registered travellers can be reached and informed more easily in a crisis. That relieves everyone involved, because fewer people have to be searched for blindly.

Find out which natural hazards exist at the destination and in which season: hurricane season, rainy season, wildfire season, earthquake or volcanic area. Note the country's warning apps or official channels through which warnings are spread, and register with your foreign ministry where this is offered.

Pack a small emergency bag you can grab quickly: passport and document copies, medication, water, light, a charged power bank, some cash and your emergency card with contacts. Agree with someone at home that in an emergency they will collect your messages and pass them on to others.

Follow the basic rules that fit the event: in an earthquake take cover, for example under a sturdy table, and stay there until the shaking stops. In a flood go higher and avoid flooded roads. In a wildfire stay away from the smoke and follow evacuation instructions. Each of these events has its own entry with more detail.

With a tsunami warning or a strong earthquake at the coast: move immediately to higher ground or inland, without waiting for official confirmation. The US National Weather Service advises exactly that. Going to the beach to watch the water is one of the most dangerous mistakes.

Follow evacuation orders immediately and take your documents with you. Do not drive through closed areas on your own and do not go into danger zones to take photos. Barriers protect against dangers you often cannot see and keep routes clear for rescue services.

After disasters phone networks are often overloaded because everyone calls at once. Short text messages then often get through more easily than calls and use less battery. A good message is short and complete: “We are safe, location, next update at …”.

Send the message to the agreed contact at home, who passes it on to others. That way you do not have to answer ten people individually and you save battery. If social networks offer a feature to mark yourself as safe, or there are people-finder services, you can use them as well.

Save battery: dim the screen, close unnecessary apps, do not phone for hours or watch videos. You may still need the phone for warnings, for contact with your tour operator and insurer, or for an emergency call.

If you need help – after an injury, with lost documents or if you cannot leave the country – use your foreign ministry's crisis hotline or contact details. On package holidays tour operators often have their own emergency numbers and organise return transport; stay in contact with the tour guide.

Arrange onward or return travel with your tour operator, airline and insurer, and inform your insurer early. In armed conflict or political unrest, different rules apply than in natural disasters; there, follow your foreign ministry's crisis advice.