Northland tsunami siren network testing this month

Tsunami sirens throughout Northland will be tested on the morning of Sunday 24 September, as part of twice-yearly checks which coincide with the beginning and end of daylight saving.

The siren network – from Te Hapua in the north to Mangawhai in the south and Ruawai in the west – will sound twice: firstly at 9.20am for 10 minutes and again at 10am for just 30 seconds, and will be monitored for any faults.

Northland already has more tsunami sirens than any other region in the country and new sirens continue to be added following last November’s Kaikoura earthquake and the consequent tsunami warning.

Victoria Randall, spokesperson for the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, says a total of 18 new sirens have been installed over the year since last September. The most recent new additions are in Mangawhai, Waikaraka, Onerahi and Ruakaka.

The sound of the tsunami sirens can be found at www.nrc.govt.nz/tsunamisirens

In the event of a genuine tsunami warning, the sirens are an indicator to seek further information, from sources such as:

• The Northland Civil Defence Facebook page www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthland
• Smartphone alerts from the free Red Cross Hazard app www.nrc.govt.nz/cdalert
• TV and radio
• Community phone trees
• Informal notifications from neighbours and friends.

This month’s siren testing is a good reminder to Northlanders to find out if they live, work or play in a tsunami evacuation zone by checking out the recently-released updated maps for Northland at www.nrc.govt.nz/evacuatenow

They should also be aware of the natural warning signs of a local source tsunami – one that could arrive without time for any official warning. “If people are on the coast and experience a long or strong earthquake, change in sea level or loud or unusual noises coming from the sea, they should move inland or to high ground without waiting for further information,” Ms Randall says.