Istanbul steps up tsunami readiness with UNESCO support

Istanbul has stepped up its tsunami preparedness; two districts in the city are joining a UNESCO-backed project to improve early warnings and drills.

Authorities are rolling out a UNESCO-backed tsunami preparedness program in Kartal and Tuzla, two coastal districts on the Asian side, as the city braces for the risk of a major Marmara Sea earthquake. The initiative, called CoastWave and led by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, aims to defend and standardise what happens in the first critical minutes after the quake.

The Istanbul Deputy Governor, Mahmut Hersanlıoğlu, said a citywide disaster-risk reduction plan is already in motion. In both districts, teams have completed tsunami risk surveys, run awareness workshops and training sessions, and are now finalising standard operating procedures, including who issues the warning, who makes announcements, and which actions follow on the ground. Once preparations are complete, full-scale drills will be held.

Istanbul Disaster and Emergency Management Authority Director Haluk Özener says that after successful exercises, Kartal and Tuzla will be certified as “tsunami-ready.” Türkiye is one of 39 member countries participating in CoastWave; the program, which was first launched in Istanbul's other district, Büyükçekmece, two years ago, is now expanding across the city.

Officials issued a public warning for civilians to stay away from the shoreline after an earthquake. If a quake hits the Marmara Sea, residents should move inland and to higher ground—crowding the coast to “watch the sea” can be dangerous.

This initiative comes just months after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that occurred on April 23rd, which shook Istanbul and revived concerns about local tsunamis. As Hersanlıoğlu put it, natural disasters can’t be stopped—but with planning, drills, and clear command chains, a tsunami doesn’t have to become a disaster if the right protocols are taken.

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