National Warning: Tsunami Threat to Beachand Marine Areas
NationalWarning System Message No: 3
Issued0600 hours 09 September 2017
Thismessage is current and replaces all/any previous messages for this event.
The Ministry of Civil Defence &Emergency Management (MCDEM) has issued a tsunami warning (beach and marinethreat) for Chatham Islands, Pegasus Bay, Northern Coasts of Hawke's Bay andEast Cape. See the attached map for affected areas. There is NO landthreat and NO need to evacuate.
Onlymessages issued by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Managementrepresent the official warning status for New Zealand.
TheTsunami Experts Panel have done further modelling overnight based on dart buoydata as the wave propagates across the Pacific ocean. They have confirmedthat a beach and marine threat still exists for the above areas. Thismeans that unusually strong and hazardous currents and unpredictable surges areexpected near beaches, in harbours and estuaries. The severity ofcurrents and surges will vary within a particular coastal area and over theperiod this warning is in effect.
Currentassessments indicate that coastal inundation (flooding of land areas near theshore) is not expected and that the amplitudes will be on the low range of0.2-1m, perhaps maximum at Chatham Islands, but hovering in the low end of theband.
Thefirst tsunami activity may reach New Zealand in the areas around ChathamIslands and East Cape at approximately 0700 hours today (09 September 2017NZST). This may be later and the first activity may not be the mostsignificant. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours and the threatmust be regarded as real until this warning is cancelled.
Estimatesof expected threat levels are as per the attached map.
People in the above coastal areas should:
Follow instructions of local civil defence emergency management authorities
Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities)
Stay off beaches and shore areas
Not go sightseeing
Share this information with family, neighbours and friends
Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates
Activate appropriate response coordination arrangements and communication processes.
Alert potentially at-risk communities as appropriate.
Stand by for further information.
Local CDEM to act in coordination with regional/Group CDEM.
Furtherinformation:
Thetsunami warning will remain in effect until a cancellation message is issued byMCDEM. A further update will be issued by MCDEM via the National Warning Systemwhen new information or advice is received.