Don't panic! Siren testing this Sunday...

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Northland’s six-monthly tsunami siren test will take place at the end of daylight saving on Sunday, 2 April.

The network of more than 200 outdoor tsunami sirens in coastal communities, from Te Hapua in the north to Mangawhai in the south and Ruawai in the west, is checked twice a year, coinciding with the start and finish of daylight saving.

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group spokesperson Graeme MacDonald says "Everyone who spends time on the coast needs to know the natural warning signs of tsunami - a strong earthquake that is hard to stand up in or one that lasts longer than a minute, or out-of-the ordinary sea behaviour, such as sudden rise or fall and/or unusual noise."

What you need to know:
- The tsunami siren test will take place at the end of daylight saving on Sunday, 2 April.
- The sirens sound twice: firstly at 10am for 10 minutes and then again at 10.30am for 30 seconds, and will be monitored for any faults.
- Indoor sirens will be tested at the same time as the outdoor network. Test alerts will also be sent to users of the Red Cross Hazard app, which can be downloaded for free.

Northlanders can check out whether they live, work or play in a tsunami evacuation zone, and plan the quickest route to safety, using the interactive maps at: www.nrc.govt.nz...

To hear Northland’s outdoor and indoor tsunami sirens online visit: www.nrc.govt.nz...