January 26, 2000 Tsunami: Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Tawi-Tawi, Philippines on January 26, 2000. The water rose as high as 20 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- January 26, 2000
- Source
- Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Maximum water height
- 20 m (65.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 5.100° N, 120.150° E
The toll
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 300
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
At least 5,150 people were left homeless, hundreds of traditional stilt houses destroyed, and dozens or people were hurt after tidal waves (not a tsunami), some described as being 20 meters high, slammed into houses on stilts in the southern Philippines' Tawi-Tawi province. (reference #1310)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sapa-Sapa Island | Philippines | 13 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Matata | Philippines | 20 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Simunol | Philippines | 71 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Tawi Tawi | Philippines | 90 | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 2000The 2000sTsunamis of PhilippinesThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 2350.