Coromandel Peninsula schools marked the seventh anniversary of the Japan tsunami in March (the week of 11-17 March), by practicing their tsunami evacuation hīkoi.
Pam Balt of the Thames-Coromandel District Council Emergency Management Unit says tsunami can cause more damage on the east coast than earthquakes or volcanoes.
“That’s why it’s so important that we’re prepared. Everyone who lives, works or plays in a tsunami evacuation zone needs to know the right actions to take if they feel a long or strong earthquake,” Balt says.
A tsunami is a series of powerful waves with strong currents. They are mostly caused by underwater or coastal earthquakes, and sometimes by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions.
“A tsunami hīkoi is an opportunity to plan and practice your tsunami evacuation routes.”
How to join in 2020
Save the date for Tsunami Hīkoi Week from 9-15 March 2020 and practice your tsunami evacuation hīkoi if you live or work in a tsunami evacuation zone .
All of New Zealand is at risk of tsunami but there is one simple thing we can all do to make sure we are prepared. Practise your drop, cover and hold and tsunami hīkoi – your evacuate walk - to high ground or inland, by foot or bike.
Tsunami Hīkoi Week coincides with the ninth anniversary of the devastating Japan 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It is difficult to imagine that something similar could happen here, in Aotearoa New Zealand. But, we know it will.
We know that practising your tsunami hīkoi works. It helped save the lives of more than 95% of people who safely evacuated, after they felt a long or strong earthquake in the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
If you are interested in organising a tsunami walk for your family, organisation or your community to help spread the word then download the East Coast LAB Tsunami Hīkoi Guide and Tsunami Hīkoi Poster.
If you live on the east coast, you can also check our tsunami zone maps to see if you are in a susceptible area. Check your town here.