Northland tsunami siren testing at end of daylight saving

Northland’s six-monthly tsunami siren test will take place at the end of daylight saving on Sunday, 2 April.

The network of more than 200 outdoor tsunami sirens in coastal communities, from Te Hapua in the north to Mangawhai in the south and Ruawai in the west, is checked twice a year, coinciding with the start and finish of daylight saving.

The sirens sound twice: firstly at 10am for 10 minutes and then again at 10.30am for 30 seconds, and will be monitored for any faults.

Indoor sirens will be tested at the same time as the outdoor network. Test alerts will also be sent to users of the Red Cross Hazard app, which can be downloaded for free.

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group spokesperson Graeme MacDonald added that people should also be aware of the risk of local source tsunami (those generated on or close to the coast), which could arrive ahead of any official warning. "Everyone who spends time on the coast needs to know the natural warning signs of tsunami - a strong earthquake that is hard to stand up in or one that lasts longer than a minute, or out-of-the ordinary sea behaviour, such as sudden rise or fall and/or unusual noise."

He said Northlanders can check out whether they live, work or play in a tsunami evacuation zone, and plan the quickest route to safety, using the interactive maps at: www.nrc.govt.nz/evacuationzones

Northland’s outdoor tsunami sirens are funded and owned by the region’s three district councils (Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara) and operated in a partnership which also includes the two electricity networks (Northpower and Top Energy).

The Northland network has been developed since 2007, with a total of 205 sirens installed over that time. It is also set to be progressively upgraded with new tsunami warning sirens over the next three to five years.

To hear Northland’s outdoor and indoor tsunami sirens online visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/tsunamisirens