How are alerts issued in Colombia? Volcano, weather, tsunami

Short answer. No official source describes a national public disaster alert system in Colombia for phones, sirens or TV. Alerts are declared by the competent authority based on monitoring ¹: the Colombian Geological Survey (SGC) uses four colour-coded volcanic alert states ², and IDEAM issues weather, river, landslide and wildfire alerts, also published in its free app IDEAM en tu Mano ³. Cell broadcast rules cover only missing-person alerts ⁴.

What is an alert under Colombian law?

Law 1523 of 2012, article 4, defines an alert as a state "declared before a hazardous event, based on monitoring of the phenomenon, so that the entities and the population involved activate pre-established procedures" ¹. In practice, each hazard has its own monitoring agency.

What do the volcanic alert colours mean?

Since 14 September 2023, the SGC uses four alert states for the 25 active volcanic structures it monitors ²:

The states are not sequential: a volcano can go directly from Green to Orange. They no longer give an eruption timeframe ². The SGC publishes a weekly bulletin every Tuesday for volcanoes at Yellow and Orange, a monthly bulletin for those at Green, and extraordinary bulletins if a threat is imminent ². See our guide on volcanic ash.

Where do I get weather, flood and wildfire alerts?

IDEAM's free app IDEAM en tu Mano (Android and iOS) shows forecasts and a list of current alerts for landslides, wildfires, hydrological and marine-weather events, rated yellow, orange or red ³. No official app was found for earthquake or volcano alerts sent to the public ³. Our guides on flood preparedness and wildfire smoke explain what to do at each stage.

Who assesses tsunami threats?

The General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR) assesses tsunami threats, and UNGRD publishes the resulting statements, for example on whether an alert applies to the Pacific coast ⁵. See our tsunami guide.

Will I get an alert on my phone?

Not for disasters, as far as official sources show. The telecom regulator's Cell Broadcast rules (Resolución CRC 6141 of 2021, amended by Resolución CRC 8030 of 2025) govern the Alerta Rosa for missing children and women, not disaster warnings ⁴. In a declared disaster, Law 1523, article 82, requires telecom providers to let the operator that requests it access and use their networks and infrastructure immediately, to keep services running ¹.

A press report, not an official source, says a bill for a national earthquake early-warning system was filed in the Senate in August 2026 ⁶. We have not confirmed it in official records.

Are there sirens?

No national siren network or signal code appears in official sources. UNGRD advises families with members who have hearing disabilities to use vibrating, strobe or light alarms ⁷. A battery-powered AM-FM radio is on the official kit list ⁷; see our emergency radio guide.

When is the national drill?

UNGRD runs the Simulacro Nacional de Respuesta a Emergencias every year. The 2026 edition is on Wednesday 21 October at 10:00 a.m. for the public, with 1,046 municipalities in all 32 departments ⁸.

Frequently asked questions

Does Colombia have an earthquake early warning?

No official app or system for earthquake alerts to the public was found ³. A bill is reported by the press but not confirmed in official sources ⁶.

Can a volcano jump from Green to Orange?

Yes. The SGC states the alert levels are not sequential ².

Is IDEAM en tu Mano free?

Yes, on Android and iOS ³.

Sources

1. Congreso de la República / Función Pública (Gestor Normativo) — Ley 1523 de 2012 — Por la cual se adopta la política nacional de gestión del riesgo de desastres y se establece el Sistema Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres — https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=47141 (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC) — Colombia cambia su esquema de medición de la actividad volcánica — https://www2.sgc.gov.co/Noticias/Paginas/Colombia-cambia-su-esquema-de-medicion-de-la-actividad-volcanica.aspx (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM) — ABC IDEAM En Tu Mano — https://www.ideam.gov.co/sites/default/files/archivos/abc_ideam_en_tu_mano.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (CRC) — Resolución CRC 8030 de 2025 — Por la cual se modifica el Título XIV de la Resolución CRC 5050 de 2016 (Ley 2326 de 2023 y Decreto 1428 de 2024) — https://www.crcom.gov.co/sites/default/files/normatividad/00008030.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD) — No hay alerta de tsunami para la costa Pacífica colombiana — https://portal.gestiondelriesgo.gov.co/Paginas/Noticias/2026/No-hay-alerta-de-tsunami-para-la-costa-Pacifica-colombiana-121026.aspx (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Noticias RCN — Proyecto de ley busca crear un Sistema Nacional de Alerta Sísmica en Colombia (press, not official) — https://www.noticiasrcn.com/colombia/proponen-sistema-de-alerta-sismica-en-colombia-para-avisar-segundos-antes-de-un-sismo-1051263 (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD) — Guía de preparativos ante sismo — https://portal.gestiondelriesgo.gov.co/Documents/Guias/Guia-sismos-digital-f%20%285%29%20%282%29.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD) — Más de 1.000 municipios del país se preparan para el Simulacro Nacional de Respuesta a Emergencias 2026 — https://portal.gestiondelriesgo.gov.co/Paginas/Noticias/2026/Mas-de-1000-municipios-del-pais-se-preparan-para-el-Simulacro-Nacional-de-Respuesta-a-Emergencias-2026.aspx (accessed 2026-10-20)