The installation of two new voice instruction tsunami sirens in Orewa begins today, 2 September 2020.
The sirens, to be located at Centreway Reserve and Brunton Park, were to be installed in April 2020 but due to COVID-19 it was delayed.
Auckland Emergency Management General Manager Kate Crawford says the sirens will be the first demonstration of a new technology.
“The sirens will produce both a tone and voice instruction, letting the public know why they are going off, and what to do,” Kate says.
The sirens will be installed followed by two weeks of commissioning activities.
“This will ensure the signal and communication components of the sirens are properly set up and might include a series of short tests such as low hums or buzzing. This is not expected to cause significant impacts to the community.”
Much of the Orewa community lies in an area at risk from flooding by tsunami, and this has been a focus of local preparation and planning events for some time, such as the tsunami hīkoi at Orewa College.
“The final locations of the two sirens were chosen to maximise the reach of the siren to as much of the at-risk community as possible,” Kate says.
She says the aim of the two new sirens is to act as an additional layer of support in times of an emergency.
“Nationally, we use the Emergency Mobile Alert system to send alerts to compatible mobile devices in times of emergency, including tsunami.
“This remains the main method of emergency alerting for the Auckland region for Orewa residents and the two new sirens will provide an additional layer of support.”
The sirens will be functional by 27 September – which is when Auckland Emergency Management’s bi-annual siren testing will take place.
“It is important to note that if a tsunami threat occurs during this period, the sirens will not be operational, and the public should look for Emergency Mobile Alert which remains the primary alert method.”
Siren Locations:
- Centreway Reserve (western end of the carpark on Riverside Road)
- Brunton Park (entrance on West Hoe Road)
For more information on Auckland Emergency Management visit aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz
