Work begins installing tsunami sirens

Work is underway installing the tsunami warning system along Christchurch’s coastal area.

Contractors have this week begun to install the 22 sirens from Waimairi Beach to Sumner which Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says will be operational from 1 July 2012.

“Contractors will spend the next three weeks installing the sirens and silently testing the system.

“Residents will get to hear the sirens for the first time on Sunday 22 July at 11am when the sirens will be tested for one to two minutes. Mark this date in your diary now and let your neighbours know to avoid any confusion.”

He says it is important residents are able to identify the sound the sirens make to know when they need to evacuate the coastal area.

“If during the testing the sirens are reactivated for more than 10 minutes, it will no longer be a test. Residents are advised they will need to evacuate the area.”

Mr Parker says the day of the testing is also a good time for all residents along coastal Christchurch to make sure they have an evacuation plan in place for themselves and their family, as self-evacuation may be necessary in the event of a tsunami.

He says businesses along coastal Christchurch also need to have an evacuation plan and ensure staff know where the closest evacuation route is to their workplace. “The tsunami warning system is just part of the solution to keep residents safe.”

Further testing of the sirens will happen twice a year on the Sundays when Daylight Saving begins and ends.

“There is a risk of tsunami inundation in Christchurch but that risk is considered low and has not changed as a result of the recent earthquakes.”

He says the sirens will not be used in the event of a local tsunami, however they may be used in a regional tsunami, depending on when the tsunami is expected to reach land. The sirens are for when a distance tsunami is heading towards our shores and there would be sufficient notice to activate the sirens.