Country guide
Emergencies in Romania
Which number to call, how alerts reach you and which risks to prepare for in Romania. In short, with links to the official sources.
Main hazards
-
Earthquakes
They strike without warning. Secure tall furniture and learn Drop, Cover and Hold On.
What to do in an earthquake → -
Heatwaves
Most victims are older people living alone. Water, shade and checking on neighbors.
Heatwave safety → -
Winter storms and cold
Blocked roads and multi-day power cuts. Keep supplies at home and in the car.
Winter storms and extreme cold → -
Power outages
Light, power banks, water and no-cook food for at least 3 days.
Power outage (blackout) →
Earthquakes in Romania
Almost all of Romania’s major earthquakes come from the Vrancea zone, at the bend of the Carpathians. They are intermediate-depth quakes, 60 to 200 km down, so they are felt over a very wide area, from Chișinău to Sofia. Bucharest is the most exposed large city because of its distance, its soils and its older buildings. The Banat region in the west also has weaker local sources.
Indicative sketch, not for engineering use. For buildings, the official P100-1 zoning map and a structural assessment are what count.
Major earthquakes of the last century
- 10.11.1940M 7.7The strongest Romanian earthquake of the 20th century; it brought down the Carlton block in Bucharest.
- 04.03.1977M 7.4More than 1,500 dead, most of them in Bucharest, where dozens of tall buildings collapsed.
- 30.08.1986M 7.1Strongly felt in eastern Romania and Moldova; damage mostly in Chișinău.
- 30.05.1990M 6.9Two shocks over two days; damage around the Carpathian bend.
What you can do now
- Find out whether your building has a seismic risk rating (in Bucharest, the city publishes lists of assessed buildings, including the “red dot” ones).
- Fix tall cabinets and shelves to the wall and keep heavy objects low.
- Practise Drop, Cover and Hold On with your family. Full guide →
- Data on recent earthquakes is published by the National Institute for Earth Physics (INFP). infp.ro
Alerts and shelters
- RO-ALERT sends warnings to every phone in the affected area. Do not switch them off.
- Sirens are usually tested on the first Wednesday of the month. What each signal means →
- County emergency inspectorates (ISU) publish the lists of civil protection shelters. How to take shelter →
- Flood warnings come from INHGA and weather warnings from ANM. inhga.ro · meteoromania.ro
The basics, wherever you live
Other countries
We review this data regularly, but rules and numbers can change. If in doubt, follow your local authorities.