National Emergency Management Agency advises what to do if caught near the shore during an earthquake. Video / NZGetReady
The Hikurangi Subduction Zone poses a significant earthquake and tsunami risk, with a one in four chance of an event in the next 50 years.
Shane Briggs from Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence advises immediate evacuation from Hawke’s Bay’s blue zone after a long or strong earthquake.
Residents should prepare emergency bags and learn escape routes, avoiding cars to prevent road congestion.
Off the coast of Hawke’s Bay, a giant slumbers – but could wake at any time.
The Hikurangi Subduction Zone is where the Pacific plate drops westward under the Australian plate. It sits just off the east coast of the North Island.
Subduction zones generate the largest earthquakes and tsunamis in the world. The Hikurangi Subduction Zone is close to shore and a tsunami from this source would arrive within 10 to 20 minutes of a long or strong earthquake, allowing no time for official warnings.
Recent research, led by Charlotte Pizer from Victoria University, indicates a one in four chance of a Hikurangi Subduction Zone event in the next 50 years.
“If [disabled and elderly] people are living in the blue zone, they need to have a plan about what they are going to do.”
He recommends having an emergency bag ready to go.
“If we’re talking about a wave that is arriving in 20 minutes and it takes you 10 minutes to find all the things, you’ve halved the amount of time you’ve got to evacuate,” he said.
“If you’ve got a bag by your door ready to go, you can just leave.”
Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence is currently looking for volunteers to help out during an emergency and invite all those interested to their open night, Tuesday April 1 at 309 Lyndon Rd East, Hastings from 7pm.
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.