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Ōrewa’s two tsunami sirens will sound at midday on Sunday, September 27, as Auckland Emergency Management carries out its second and final test of the year.
No action is required from residents during the test.
Auckland Emergency Management general manager Adam Maggs says the twice-yearly testing ensures the sirens will work effectively in a real tsunami emergency.
“There is no cause for concern during the testing and no action is required from the public,” Maggs says.
The sirens, located at Ōrewa Beach, use a combination of alert sounds and voice instructions to advise residents what to do during a tsunami emergency.
Ōrewa is the only location in the Auckland region with tsunami sirens. Sirens elsewhere were decommissioned in December 2023 because vandalism, theft and ageing technology had made them unreliable. The two Ōrewa sirens were installed in 2020 and remain operational.
Maggs says Emergency Mobile Alerts sent to capable mobile phones are the primary way authorities will warn Aucklanders of a tsunami threat. News media and social media will also be used.
Auckland Emergency Management says people near the coast should not wait for an official warning if they experience natural warning signs.
These include a strong earthquake that makes it difficult to stand, an earthquake lasting more than a minute, a sudden rise or fall in sea level, or loud and unusual noises from the sea.
The advice is: “If an earthquake is long or strong, get gone” and move immediately to higher ground.
Check tsunami evacuation zones and preparedness information through Auckland Emergency Management’s Hazard Viewer.
