Tsunami siren network testing over Easter

 

Tsunami sirens from Te Hapua to Mangawhai will be tested when daylight saving ends Sunday April 1.

Northland’s 184 sirens will sound on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, firstly at noon for 10 minutes and then again at 12.30pm for just 30 seconds.
The sirens are being tested as part of regular twice-yearly checks to ensure the sirens are all working correctly.

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group spokesperson, Victoria Randall, says this year’s testing is later in the day than normal due to the Easter Sunday time slot.

Nineteen new Northland-produced tsunami sirens are expected to be installed ahead of the testing. 

The new additions, some of which have already been installed on selected local power poles, are part of an ongoing programme to boost Northland siren numbers. 

Put in place over six months between the last tsunami siren testing (in September 2017) and coming April testing, the new sirens are in Langs Beach, Onerahi, Mangawhai, Ruakaka, Tutukaka, Waipu and Whangarei Heads.

Northland has more tsunami sirens than any other region in the country with 104 sirens in the Whangarei district, 59 in the Far North and 21 in the Kaipara district.

“Tsunami sirens are a critical part of Northland’s tsunami alerting,” Ms Randall says.
Should there be a genuine tsunami warning, the sound of the sirens is an indicator to local communities to immediately seek further information from sources including Northland Civil Defence’s Facebook page, emergency mobile alerts, TV and radio, community phone trees, and informal alerts from neighbours and friends.

Ms Randall says Northlanders should use siren testing as a time to boost tsunami preparedness.

People need to find out if they live, work or play in a tsunami evacuation zone by checking out Northland tsunami evacuation maps at nrc.govt.nz/evacuatenow.

“They should also work out where they’re going to evacuate to if necessary, how they’ll get to that evacuation point, time how long the evacuation will take and consider how they’ll keep in touch with family and friends if evacuated.”

Ms Randall says coastal households in tsunami evacuation areas need to plan well in advance, particularly for tsunami generated on or close to New Zealand’s coast. They need to know natural warning signs – earthquakes (either strong with shaking ground or weak and rolling lasting at least a minute), unusual sea behaviour including a sudden sea level fall or rise, and/or loud and unusual sea noises, particularly roaring like a jet engine.

 To hear what Northland tsunami sirens sound like visit nrc.govt.nz/tsunamisirens.

Northpower electrician Simon Jones (left) and apprentice electrician Dylan Tomlinson with some of the tsunami siren units being added to Northland’s tsunami siren network. 

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