Tsunami Hikoi to aid preparedness
Whakatāne District Council and Emergency Management Bay of Plenty (EMBOP) have jointly organised a Tsunami Hīkoi to encourage people to prepare for evacuation to higher ground should natural signals, such as a long or strong earthquake occur, or a tsunami alert be given.
The Tsunami Hīkoi will be held on Wednesday, 13 March with two sessions providing the option to participate at a time that suits. The first Hikoi will begin at 1.30 pm, and aims to have local schools involved. The second hikoi will be at 5:30 pm and those in the Whakatāne CBD, and those generally keen to understand more about emergency preparedness, are encouraged to attend.
The hīkoi will start from Wharaurangi on the The Strand and end at the Camellia Park on Waiewe St where spot prizes and a free barbeque will reward those who join in. Council and EMBOP staff will be on hand to help people create an evacuation plan, along with information packs, and household evacuation plans for people to take away.
Whakatāne District Council Manager Planning and Regulation, Barbara Dempsey says the Tsunami Hikoi provides an opportunity to ‘practice what we preach’ and to talk frankly about emergency preparedness. “We learn best by doing, so the hikoi enables us to walk through the scenario and understand what challenges we may be faced with if the real thing occurs,” she says. “It also provides a great opportunity to share ideas and gather knowledge from one another, and those who are trained to prepare for these events.”
The event will be postponed to the following Wednesday (20 March) if raining.
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