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Although touted as a ‘pilot’ and ‘trial’, it turns out that the installation of two tsunami alert sirens in Orewa will be permanent, according to Auckland Emergency Management.
The entire process involved in importing, testing and installing two sirens, one in Centreway Road and another in West Hoe Road, will cost ratepayers around $250,000. The cost includes upgrading Auckland Council’s systems to work with the new technology as well as testing the sirens before they are installed and Emergency Management’s principal science adviser, Angela Doherty says that is where the trial lies.
“The trial is about testing Council’s systems and the final success will be judged on whether the new sirens can be integrated into those systems and operate with the rest of the regional tsunami siren network,” Ms Doherty says. “The sirens will be thoroughly tested to ensure they are fit for purpose, and if not they won’t go in. But once they are installed, they become a permanent addition to the network.”
The sirens, which include a loud alert and voice messaging, are currently on their way to New Zealand and Angela says it is hoped they can be tested and installed in time for the April changeover in daylight saving.
This is the time when tsunami sirens are traditionally tested throughout the region, and if they are in place, the Orewa sirens will be sounded for the first time then.
However, Ms Doherty says Emergency Management has a number of tests to put the sirens through before installation, to ensure they are fit for purpose, and this cannot be rushed. If they are not ready for April, they will be sounded another time.
A small group of residents, keen to find out more about the tsunami sirens, attended a meeting held by Auckland Emergency Management on February 18.
Around 35 people gathered for the meeting in Orewa Community Hall, including Hibiscus & Bays Local Board member Andy Dunn.
At the meeting, Ms Doherty told the group that one reason the sirens are being trialled in Orewa is that it has the largest population density in living in an area with significant risk of tsunami. There is also potentially a large distance to travel from the beach to the safe zones in the hills.
She said the trial also needs to take place on Council owned land and to meet health and safety requirements so that the sirens are loud enough to reach 90 percent of the buildings in the evacuation zone, without damaging people’s eardrums.
Traffic management in an emergency was one question raised. In response, Ms Doherty said that the message Emergency Management will promote is for residents to stay out of their cars as they head to the safe zone, unless they have no other choice.
The sirens are in addition to the system of alerts sent to mobile phones in a civil defence emergency.
They can only be activated by the Auckland Emergency Management duty team.
More info, including a Hazard viewer that shows the evacuation zones for various types of emergency, can be found at www.aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz
