Map New Tool In Tsunami Preparedness Planning

A newly developed map showing tsunami inundation zones for the Bay of Plenty coastline has been released by the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEMG) as a tool to help coastal residents improve their tsunami preparedness planning.

The map is an online resource, which shows the distance a tsunami surge would travel inland, based on worst case scenario planning of tsunami surge heights for the western and eastern Bay of Plenty. It can be downloaded from the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group website www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz.

CDEMG Coordinating Executive Group Chair Diane Turner said the map was developed as a tool to help both emergency management staff and the community develop response plans before an event occurred.

“We live on a coastline which is exposed to regional and distant tsunami sources,” Mrs Turner said. “This means tsunami are likely to be a ‘when’, not an ‘if’ scenario, so we all have a responsibility to be prepared.”

The maps are indicative only and in the first stage of their development with further modelling expected to refine the inundation zones. Currently, they show the inundation zone for surge heights at shore of 6.75m and 8.25m in the eastern Bay of Plenty, and 4m and 6.75m in the western Bay of Plenty. The two heights were identified as being the ‘worst case’ scenario, and the extreme scenario based on historical records.

“It’s important to note that the existence of this map does not increase or decrease the likelihood of a tsunami in this region, so the most important thing I can encourage people to do is make sure they’re prepared for any emergency,” Mrs Turner said.

“This includes visiting our regional Civil Defence Emergency Management Group website, www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz and making sure your family has a household plan and an emergency kit ready. You can also learn more about the signs you can look out for if you live near the beach, or what to do if a disaster occurs.”

She said families might like to visit www.whatstheplanstan.govt.nz and go through their tsunami information with their children, as part of their emergency planning.

Mrs Turner said that because the current map is based on modelling, the height and impact of waves will in reality act in different ways, depending on the particular characteristics of the coastline.

“I encourage people to contact their local city or district council if they would like assistance with community response planning and to find out further information on how they can get ready and get through.”

She said people can also visit www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz and sign up to have civil defence updates and alerts sent direct to their email inbox.

ENDS

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