Civil Defence warnings must be taken seriously

New Zealanders who didn't heed the national tsunami warning issued yesterday in the wake of the Chilean earthquake, need to realise this was a serious event, Civil Defence Minister John Carter said today.

"A national warning is not issued lightly," Mr Carter says. "Amid reports of people going to the beach or spectating, we also had reports of people getting caught in the powerful water surges that make up a tsunami and rapid water-level rises in some areas.

"There was definitely potential for loss of life in our waters and it is a credit to the team who managed this event that didn't happen.

"However, most New Zealanders heeded the warnings and I am proud of how the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency, local Civil Defence Emergency Management groups, police, fire, coastguard, and volunteers worked together to manage the situation. Mostly, they were able to warn people and to keep them off the beaches and out of the water.

"The media also played a crucial role in keeping people up-to-date and informed as the situation unfolded. Communication with the media was an area that needed improvement after the Samoan tsunami warnings last year and I am pleased to say the relationship with the media went exceptionally well this time.

"The tragedy of this situation is what has happened in Chile. Our distance from the earthquake meant we had plenty of time to prepare and we were well prepared.

"However, if an earthquake of this magnitude strikes 20 kilometres away from one of New Zealand's major cities, there will be no warning time. We have some of the best civil defence emergency planning in the world, but in this event, there would be a period of time when households and communities might be isolated and without essential services.

"Reality for New Zealanders is that we are vulnerable to certain unpredictable natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. We are also geographically isolated from our nearest neighbours on whom we might call for help, so any international emergency response might take days.

"Every household should have an emergency plan that includes knowing what to do during and immediately after a significant earthquake. I am encouraged to hear that after yesterday's event, there has been increased traffic to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management's website www.civildefence.govt.nz  as there is excellent potentially life-saving information on this site. The site averaged 350 visitors a day in February and that escalated to 44,000 yesterday.

"The Ministry also has RSS and Twitter feeds on the emergency status bar on the website. On Friday evening there were 166 followers on Twitter and this morning there are 1347.

"I urge all New Zealanders not to delay their emergency planning and to take warnings seriously when they are issued and follow the precautions recommended until such warnings are reduced and then lifted."