Emergency preparedness in Colombia: the official guidance

Short answer. In Colombia, the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, UNGRD) asks households to prepare an emergency kit with a reserve for at least 5 days and a family plan ¹. The national emergency line is 123 ¹. Colombia has no public blast or fallout shelter network; after a disaster, people go to temporary accommodation organised by local authorities ².

Who is responsible for civil preparedness in Colombia?

UNGRD coordinates the National Disaster Risk Management System (SNGRD) ¹³. Hazard monitoring is shared between specialist agencies: the Colombian Geological Survey (Servicio Geológico Colombiano, SGC) watches earthquakes and volcanoes ⁴, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) covers weather and rivers ⁵, and the General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR) assesses tsunami threats ³. Law 1523 of 2012 sets the national policy and makes residents co-responsible for risk management ⁶.

What is on each page?

• Emergency supplies: a kit for at least 5 days, sealed bottled water renewed every year, and a family plan with a waiting time of up to 72 hours ¹.
• Kit: UNGRD's personal kit checklist, item by item ¹.
• Public shelters: no blast or fallout shelters in official sources; temporary accommodation (alojamientos temporales) after a disaster, described by officials as a last resort ².
• Alerts: four colour-coded volcanic alert states from the SGC ⁴, IDEAM weather and river alerts in the free app IDEAM en tu Mano ⁵, and no national disaster cell-broadcast or siren system found in official sources ⁷.
• Iodine: Colombia publishes no official potassium iodide guidance.
• Build a shelter: no shelter-specific law; ordinary building licences and the seismic code NSR-10 apply ⁶¹.
• Emergency contacts: 123 national emergency line, plus police, Civil Defence, fire, Red Cross and ambulance numbers ¹.

There is no Colombia page on shelter standards: the country has no technical standard or approval scheme for blast or fallout shelters.

What is the official preparedness booklet?

UNGRD's Guía de preparativos ante sismo (earthquake preparedness guide), first edition, Bogotá, November 2024, is the main official household booklet. It contains a personal kit checklist, a pet kit checklist and family plan forms ¹. UNGRD also runs an annual national drill, the Simulacro Nacional de Respuesta a Emergencias. 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.

Where do I start?

Build the 5-day reserve first (kit), agree on a family plan with routes and a meeting point (emergency supplies), write down the numbers (emergency contacts) and install IDEAM en tu Mano if you live in an area exposed to floods, landslides or wildfires (alerts). Our guides on earthquake preparedness and the family plan go further.

Frequently asked questions

How long should Colombian households be prepared for?

UNGRD says to prepare the kit with a reserve for at least 5 days ¹. Its family plan also asks families to agree on a waiting time of up to 72 hours at the meeting point ¹.

What number do I call in an emergency in Colombia?

123 is the national emergency line ¹. Other numbers are on our emergency contacts page.

Does Colombia have public bomb shelters?

No network of public blast or fallout shelters appears in official sources. After a disaster, local authorities organise temporary accommodation ².

When is the national drill?

The 2026 Simulacro Nacional de Respuesta a Emergencias is on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ⁸.

Sources

1. 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)
2. Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, UNGRD, Instituto Nacional de Salud (text hosted by Ámbito Jurídico) — Circular Externa 040 de 2015 — Lineamientos en salud para la gestión de alojamientos temporales — https://www.ambitojuridico.com/sites/default/files/BancoMedios/Archivos/circexterna-0040-15%28gestionriesgodesastres%29.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. 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)
4. 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)
5. 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)
6. 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)
7. 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)
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)