Bay of Plenty Civil Defence emergency warning fails to arrive on time

An emergency test alert aimed at being sent out at 10am today has failed to arrive on time for some subscribed phones.

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence advised of a test text alert this week and asked people to make sure they were subscribed to the text system as the local emergency management group tested its systems.

The test of text alerts, Red Cross Hazard App push notifications and fixed and vehicle-mounted sirens were expected to take place at 10am today. However, some subscribed mobiles received their text at 10.11am while others are yet to receive theirs.

The test does not include the emergency mobile alerts which are pushed to capable mobile phones. However, the group will update its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Emergency Management Bay of Plenty director Clinton Naude said the test was a twice-yearly opportunity for staff to check that systems were working, test new ones and also get the public familiar with what to listen out for should a real emergency occur.

"The purpose is to make sure that the group's alerting methods are working as they should, and to identify areas where they can be improved. That's why the emergency mobile alerts won't be used as part of this test. The emergency mobile alert testing is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Civil Defence and will be tested on a different date later in the year."

For this week's test, Mr Naude said mobile sirens would be used in Te Puke, Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau. Across the region, the public who have signed up would receive a text message or Red Cross hazards app push notification letting them know about the test, if they have registered for those services.

"If people would like to register for the text alert service they should text the code for the area they live in – TA for Tauranga, WB for Western Bay, KA for Kawerau, WH for Whakatāne, RO for Rotorua or OP for Ōpōtiki to 2028. The initial registration text will cost 20c but there are no other ongoing costs. The Red Cross Hazards app can be downloaded in the usual way from app stores and once on their device people can set it up for the alerts they wish to receive – for more information about this visit our website."

To find out more about civil defence in the region, visit www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz.