Samoa tsunami alert triggers concerns

The powerful earthquake measuring around 8.3 on the Richter scale that struck close to Samoa at 06.48am on Wednesday 30 September impacted New Zealand Police in a number of ways.

Initial concern for relatives in Samoa and the tsunami warning issued for New Zealand brought an increased volume of calls to the Communications Centres.

Sergeant Andy Dow from Central Communications Centre says there was a small surge in the number of calls.

“Many of these calls were from people in coastal areas wondering what they should do to prepare for the tsunami.

“Callers were directed to follow the ‘Get Ready Get Thru’ advice from Civil Defence contained on the inside back of the yellow pages and to listen to their local radio stations for directions from local Civil Defence.”

Constable Ryan Oughton of Orewa warns a sightseer at one of Auckland’s beaches to move away. Photo: Glenn Jeffrey, NZ Herald

Officers based around New Zealand’s coast started to make the preparations necessary for keeping the public safe in areas identified as vulnerable should the tsunami make its way to our coast. Police helped clear sightseers from beaches and supported evacuations from areas deemed to be at risk.

National Manager Operations, Superintendent Tony McLeod says people going to the coast to look at a tsunami, or worse going out to surf on the wave is a source of frustration for police.

“While, as in the case of previous warnings, the tsunami failed to have any major impact on New Zealand on this occasion, one day it will happen.”

“New Zealand is situated in a geologically unstable region. We experience regular earthquakes.

“One day a significant tsunami will reach our shores and unless people use their common sense and take steps to avoid unnecessary risk we could experience losses similar to those seen in Samoa.

“It is far better that we take all the precautionary steps we need to keep our people safe than for us to be sorry,” says Tony.