Coastal residents urged to speak up on tsunami sirens

Auckland Council’s decision to decommission tsunami sirens across the region at the end of last year is worrying some residents of low-lying areas in Mahurangi, which are susceptible to coastal flooding.

Whangateau Residents and Ratepayers Association (WRRA) members have raised concerns about the fact that not all people in the area have mobile phones – and even for those who do, the phones are not always connected or accessible.

Mobile phone signal is poor in some places and may even not be heard in the case of emergencies.
Council is currently surveying ratepayers on the tsunami siren issue and the WRRA is encouraging the community to speak out. A 10-day survey period ends on August 21.

Citing vandalism, theft and outdated technology, council said late last year that its Emergency Mobile Alert would become the preferred method of warning of tsunami danger.

Ōrewa is the only location in the region still to have sirens. They were most recently tested on April 7.

The new models are designed to provide greater sound coverage, with pre-programmed voice warning messages and multi-tone siren sounds. They can also be activated via cell phone networks and satellite, and have back-up solar power systems.

Auckland Emergency Management general manager Adam Maggs says council’s tsunami resilience project team is gathering information from the public to gauge tsunami awareness, and to find out how Aucklanders use the coast.

Council maintains a database of Aucklanders – the People’s Panel – who have signed up to help guide a range of services, plans and policies.

He says that the tsunami survey has been circulated through the People’s Panel and has been published on the Auckland Emergency Management social media pages.

“We have also published a story with links to the survey on OurAuckland and circulated the survey link via our partner contact lists,” Maggs says. “Once we have decided on the recommended options on tsunami alerting methods, we will engage again with Aucklanders for feedback on these options through AK Have Your Say, which is another tool primarily used for consultation on proposals or plans.”

Maggs says the information gathered will be used alongside tsunami exposure and vulnerability studies carried out by leading scientists. This will inform decisions about the systems council uses to increase tsunami resilience and the best ways to alert the community in the event of a tsunami.

Early next year, council plans further engagement with local boards, mana whenua and the community to explain and seek feedback on the options.

Auckland’s approach to sirens contrasts to the situation in Northland, where the network is being upgraded. Four councils across the region are replacing existing sirens with 94 new ones, said to be more effective and more resilient.

The Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group says that since the new sirens have greater sound coverage, fewer will be required. Locations include Mangawhai Museum, Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park, the Mangawhai Domain, Moirs Point Christian Centre, Langs Bay, Waipu Cove, Waipu Cemetery and Waipu Reserve.

The survey can be completed here.