7 September 2016

Tsunami threat reminder to have a plan

The tsunami threat triggered by last Friday’s earthquake off the North Island’s east coast is a timely reminder for Aucklanders to make sure they have an emergency plan in place.

“It’s up to each individual to act now and have a plan to look after themselves if a tsunami, or any other emergency, strikes,” says Auckland Council’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management Director, John Dragicevich.

“This includes knowing what to do, where to go and where to meet up with family and friends.”

Auckland is under constant threat of a tsunami and there are some simple steps that everyone can follow, he says. They are:
Know your tsunami zone
Know your evacuation point
And know where to meet your family and friends
Sign up to get alerts
Go to aucklandcivildefence.org.nz and put your tsunami plan in place.

“People need to know how their local area could be affected, where to get accurate and up to date emergency information because normal communications channels might not be working and also include in their planning their neighbours and people who might need help if there is an emergency,” Mr Dragicevich says.

Tsunami threat – zones and alerts
With 3110km of coastline around Auckland, any coastal parts of the region could be affected by a tsunami.
Check Auckland Civil Defence’s tsunami evacuation maps for your area to find out if you live or work in an evacuation zone. Also consider the following:
· There are three evacuation zones – red, orange and yellow – which are you?
- Red covers the beach and adjacent low-lying areas most likely to be hit by a tsunami
- Orange would be evacuated if there was a medium to large tsunami threat
- Yellow covers the largest area that would need to be evacuated in the event of a maximum-impact tsunami
· If you are in an evacuation zone, think about how you will get to higher ground by foot, leaving the roads clear for those who are unable to walk and have to drive.

For a more detailed explanation about the tsunami evacuation maps watch Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Management’s video. Go to
www.aucklandcivildefence.org.nz/community/tsunami-evacuation-maps/video/

Note to editors: Auckland Council is running a short, sharp public information campaign across radio and digital channels encouraging people to have an emergency plan following last week’s tsunami threat. CDEM Director John Dragicevich is available for interviews.

ENDS

© Scoop Media