The new tsunami signage along Napier's Marine Parade. Photo / Ian Cooper
The new tsunami signage along Napier's Marine Parade. Photo / Ian Cooper
New signage about the risk of tsunamis has been installed along Napier's foreshore as the council considers an overhaul of the city's emergency warning system.
Two tsunami information boards were installed last week on Marine Parade and a third was put up at Westshore.
It is hoped the signage willeducate passers-by about the city's tsunami risk and what to do in the case of an emergency.
It comes as Napier City Council is considering a proposal to permanently scrap its 17 emergency sirens dotted around the city.
Those plans were revealed earlier this year for the sirens, which have not been fully operational since 2019.
The sirens have come under scrutiny for not providing instructions on what people need to do in case of an emergency, and rather simply raise the alarm.
High winds can also make the sirens hard to hear.
Under the proposal, the sirens would be replaced by a new warning system which would largely rely on a text message alert (known as an emergency mobile alert) and education initiatives.
A council committee has recommended the overhaul but the full council will decide on whether to scrap the sirens for good at its next council meeting, currently set down for March 10.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (HBCDEM) and Napier City Council have worked on the project to install the latest signage.
The new tsunami signage (left) next to another relatively new sign on Marine Parade about swimming risks. Photo / Ian Cooper
More signs could be erected in the future along the foreshore.
HBCDEM group manager Ian Macdonald said the signs were a good public education tool.
"It's a matter of when, not if, a tsunami will impact Napier.
"Tsunami signage ... will play an important part in managing that risk for people who live in and visit our community."
The new signs are located by the National Aquarium of New Zealand and the bike pump track on Marine Parade, and on the toilet block wall near the Westshore Surf Life Saving Club.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise encouraged people to plan more than one evacuation route in case of an emergency.
"Napier is at high risk of a tsunami and from modelling we expect that some tracks up Napier Hill will become congested especially during work hours," she said.
"Being prepared for a tsunami is a key focus for us under the Safer Napier umbrella, so having signs with clear messages in and around our public spaces is an important part of helping our community get ready for an emergency such as a tsunami."
For more information about tsunami and tsunami evacuation zones, visit the HBCDEM website.
