It’s the time of the year again when the Auckland Emergency Management Services conducts the biannual tsunami siren testing.

The sirens will sound the alert at midday on Sunday, 25 September, and coincide with the start of daylight savings.

The siren will be a combination of alert sounds and voice instructions advising what actions residents should take in a real emergency.

The siren patterns and the way they will sound in an emergency are:

“Attention please. This is a test of the Auckland Emergency Management tsunami siren network. The next sound you hear will be the standard emergency warning signal.”

Siren tone (5x “whoops”)

“In the event of a siren activation, follow the instructions that accompany this signal. Thank you.”

<Siren ends>

It is important to test the sirens to make sure they’re working, and that Aucklanders know what they sound like.

There’s no cause for alarm during the testing and no action is required by the public.

Besides Orewa and Waiwera, there are tsunami sirens located at Point Wells, Whangateau, and Omaha.

Waitākere sirens are located at Bethells Beach, Te Henga, Piha North, Piha South, Karekare, Whatipu, Little Huia, Te Atatū South, Te Atatu Peninsula North, and Herald Island.

The tsunami sirens located in Piha and Karekare were recently stolen and will be replaced.

Paul Amaral, general manager for Auckland Emergency Management said, “It is a good time for families and friends to have conversations about planning for an emergency. You should also find out whether you live in a tsunami evacuation zone and what you need to do to be safe.”

Paul said if you hear the siren in a real emergency, but are unable to understand what is being said, you should always check your mobile phone for an Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA), check online information and news sources, or listen to the radio to seek more information.

“We will always use a range of alerts to get the message out during a tsunami warning or threat. The sirens will help warn people in the evacuation zone who are outside very close to a siren, while the radio, TV, online sources, and EMA systems will help reach people who may be inside or distracted,” he says.

Remember, if you are at the coast and feel an earthquake that is LONG or STRONG, GET GONE and move inland or to higher ground.