Tsunami Evacuation Decisions and Behaviour: A Case Study of Pangandaran, Indonesia

The lack of an effective tsunami warning system is often blamed for the high number of deaths when tsunamis hit Indonesia. However, there are other factors affecting human lives: the scale of the incoming wave; a lack of community awareness of the problem; the lack of preparedness; or the ineffective communications prior and during the evacuation. This paper aims to explore implicit knowledge of residents’ and to enhance the understanding of tsunami awareness and preparedness associated with tsunami evacuation behaviour in the village of Pangandaran, Indonesia. A field inspection survey and a residents’ questionnaire survey were undertaken. The results show that although there is a high awareness of tsunami hazard from past experiences, advanced evacuation planning is needed to enhance preparedness and reduce tsunami risks. Increasing trust in a tsunami warning, information dissemination, and evacuation drills are required to better manage the community’s evacuation. Uninformed destination and route choice results in potential congestion on the main roads in the middle of the village and this slows evacuation thereby compromising survival rates. Appropriate shelter destination and route choice also need to be considered and updated amongst the community. Promotion of higher resident participation in tsunami exercises is also recommended to raise awareness of the need for designated evacuation plans to be rigorously implemented.