Napier sirens to be tested tomorrow

Napier will be making a lot of noise tomorrow, testing the city's preparedness for an emergency such as a flood, severe storm or a tsunami.
Sirens will go off all over the city at 10.35am as the city council test-drives its public alert system, making sure it works effectively and to educate people in what to do in the event of a real emergency.
When activated, the sirens are designed to alert people to listen to instructions broadcast by local radio stations.
Tomorrow they will sound as a rising and falling alarm, much like a volunteer fire station alert, and will continue for five minutes.
Civil defence manager Nigel Simpson said radio stations would follow up by broadcasting a public announcement at 10.40am.
Tomorrow was chosen to test the sirens because it is the anniversary of a tsunami that struck Napier on May 24, 1960.
An 8.6 magnitude earthquake in Chile generated a 3-metre tsunami which reached the Hawke's Bay coastline 13 hours later.
However major the trigger for the test was last year's Boxing Day tsunami which resulted in devastating loss of life and damage in countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
People in local shopping centres tomorrow morning could be asked to take part in a survey being conducted by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, to monitor and analyse the effectiveness of the trial run.
Mr Sutton said it was possible some residents might not hear the sirens because of their location or because of background noise.
Those with special needs, such as hearing or intellectual difficulties, should ensure they had a support network of caregivers and neighbours who could keep them informed in case of an emergency.
The only action Napier residents should take after hearing the signal was to turn on a radio and tune it in to a Hawke's Bay radio station, he said.
However everyone should maintain a transistor radio and spare batteries at all times, have a household and workplace emergency plan and maintain three days supply of food, water and medical supplies.
The council has had a public alert system since 1963. The equipment was upgraded with additional sirens installed in the late 1990s.
The system now consists of 16 sirens that can be activated as a group to saturate the district or as individual local warning alarms.
Regular electrical and mechanical tests ensured the sirens were operational at all times other than when there was a power cut, Mr Sutton said.
With 13 sirens sounding off, plus those at the fire stations in Taradale, Napier port and Bay View, the city is well covered.
However Napier's civil defence manager Nigel Sutton says it is possible some people in Esk Valley, Bay View and Poraiti may not hear the alert.