- Drop, cover, and hold on during the shaking - you should first protect yourself from the earthquake
- When the shaking stops, gather members of your household and move quickly to higher ground away from the coast, or inland - tsunami may arrive within minutes
- While evacuating, avoid hazards caused by earthquake damage, especially fallen power lines
- If you cannot escape the tsunami go to an upper story of a sturdy building or climb onto a roof or up a tree, or grab a floating object and hang on until help arrives. Concrete buildings are the safest
- Never go to the shore to watch for a tsunami. Remember, you cannot outrun a tsunami, it moves faster than a person can run
When an official tsunami warning is issued
If you receive an official warning from Civil Defence Emergency Management respond to the first message; do not wait for more messages before you act.
Official warnings are currently expected to come for sources that are more than three hours of tsunami travel time away from you.
- Listen carefully to official instructions and follow them
- Evacuate from the areas or zone(s) stated in the warning
- Stay out until the official ‘all-clear’ is given
- Take your Getaway Kit with you if possible (but do not travel into the evacuation zone to collect your kit or other belongings)
- Continue listening for further messages while you respond
- Get to higher ground or as far inland as possible. Officials cannot reliablypredict either the height or local effects of the impending tsunami
- Watchinga tsunami from the beach or cliffs could put you in grave danger. If you can see the wave, you may be too close to escape it
- Do not assume that after one wave the danger is over. The next wave may be larger than the first one. In several cases, people survived the first wave and returned to homes and businesses only to be trapped and killed by later waves in the series which were sometimes larger than the first wave
- If you evacuate, take your animals with you. If it is not safe for you, it is not safe for your animals
Evacuation
- Move quickly to higher ground, or if the surrounding area is flat, inland, as far from the coastline as possible
- Evacuate via the routes drawn on evacuation maps if maps are present
- Walk or bike quickly if possible, drive only if essential. If driving, keep goingonce you are well outside of all evacuation zones, to allow room for others behind you
- Stay out of the evacuated area until given the official “all-clear”. Continue tolisten to your radio
- Stay away from coastal water, tidal estuaries, rivers and streams for at least 24 hours after any tsunami warning, as even small waves create dangerous currents
- Boats are generally safer in water deeper than 20 metres than if they are close to the shore. It is not safe to try to move a boat if a tsunami is imminent
- Take your Getaway Kit with you
Stay tuned to local radio
Keep informed of local warnings and instructions.
Coromandel FM 89-106.7 FM
More FM Waikato 92.0 FM
More FM Taupo 93.5 FM
RadioLive 99.1 - 100 FM
If you have any questions or would like to learn more contact your local civil defence office by following the weblinks below:
Waikato Valley Civil Defence
Thames Valley Civil Defence
Taupo Civil Defence
Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Office
Tsunami brochure (406kb PDF)
Back to the main tsunami page