Parts of Whanganui are in the tsunami "red zone". Photo / File
Parts of Whanganui are in the tsunami "red zone". Photo / File
Areas of Whanganui are included in the "red zone" of the first-ever nationwide map of high-risk tsunami areas.
The National Emergency Management Agency's interactive website "Get Ready" can show tsunami risk by address.
For addresses inside either the red (highest risk areas), orange, yellow or purple evacuation zones, the websiteprovides information about what to do when there's a tsunami risk.
It says in the event of an earthquake over a minute long, or so strong it is difficult to stand, to leave the zone to higher or more inland ground immediately after the shaking stops.
The same advice is applied if loud noises are heard out at sea or if the sea recedes unexpectedly.
In Whanganui, the map shows a number of red, orange and yellow zones present, with the densest "red zone" area being around the Whanganui river mouth and as far inland as the city bridge.
There are notable red and orange zoned residential areas in Castlecliff, Gonville, Kai Iwi, Pātea, Whangaehu and Koitiata.
In Whanganui orange zones include Seafront Rd, Karaka St, Tangi St, most of Heads Rd, and Whanganui Airport.
Yellow zones include areas around Polson St, Puriri St and as inland as the Balgownie Wetlands.
Whanganui District Council emergency manager Tim Crowe said people living near the beach or river should familiarise themselves with the local hazard maps and evacuation routes. Photo / File
Whanganui District Council emergency manager Tim Crowe said while the likelihood of a tsunami in Whanganui was low, there was still a risk due to it being a coastal area.
"We recommend people who live near the beach or river familiarise themselves with the local hazard maps and evacuation routes," Crowe said.
"Knowing the natural warning signs and what to do is important, and people in the hazard areas should not wait for warnings to be issued if there is the potential for a tsunami from closer sources."
Crowe said this was because tsunami alert systems were best used to notify people about events where the source was more distant.
Tsunami information boards are situated all around Whanganui's coastal areas which include information on natural tsunami signs and indicate evacuation routes and safe location zones. Photo / Bevan Conley
He said Civil Defence Emergency Management Whanganui was in the process of a staged upgrade to most of the region's tsunami sirens, which would include more environmental protection for the sirens in order to reduce maintenance costs.
"We'll also upgrade the audio so a voice message is added to the siren.
"Our siren network includes mobile backup systems and is additional to other warning processes such as text alerts and information put out through the media."
Tsunami information boards are situated all around Whanganui's coastal areas which include information on natural tsunami signs and indicate evacuation routes and safe location zones.
The data for Whanganui is the same as the maps available on the Whanganui District Council website, and "Get Ready" is an amalgamation of regional tsunami evacuation maps.
