Hawke’s Bay is one of the most seismically active regions in New Zealand, as such our coast is at risk of a tsunami. If an earthquake is longer than a minute, or strong enough to stop you from standing, you need to get gone, grab your grab bag and self-evacuate immediately by going inland or uphill by foot or by bike.
Do not wait for an official warning - Be prepared in an emergency, have a grab bag and emergency supplies at home and have a plan to self-evacuate. The below sections outline what to do before, during and after a tsunami, alongside the associated hazards and scientific information.
The tsunami evacuation zone for Hawke's Bay is shown in blue - Following a Long or Strong earthquake, get out of the blue zone: head inland or to higher ground right away. The first tsunami wave may arrive within 15 minutes. Leave as soon as the shaking stops and go as fast as you can, every step towards safety counts. Find out if you or your family live, work, or play in the tsunami evacuation zone. The map below shows the current Hawke’s Bay tsunami evacuation zone, based on a maximum credible event modelled at 2022 sea level. Link to the tsunami evacuation zone.
Make sure you know how to identify the natural warning signs of a tsunami - This means that if you fell a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand, or a long earthquake that lasts more than a minute, you need to get gone by self-evacuating, go either uphill or inland.
You also need to self-evacuate if you see a sudden rise or fall in ocean level or hear a loud or unusual noise from the ocean. Every step counts when evacuating prior to a tsunami, so know the warning signs and be ready to evacuate following a Long or Strong earthquake.
Know your Tsunami evacuation zone - Everyone within the blue zone must evacuate if there is a Long or Strong earthquake. First, check if your home, school, or workplace is in a tsunami evacuation zone. Think about who else needs to know? Get your household, workplace and/or neighbours involved. Make sure everyone knows if they live, work, or go to school in the tsunami evacuation zone.
In the case of tsunami coming from a far source earthquake, providing additional warning time, specific areas may be asked to evacuate by HBCDEM.
Plan the potential routes you and your household will take to get out of the tsunami evacuation zone - Once you know your route, practice it. You should have more than one route in case you need to change route on the day. You may have to take this route at night, so consider practicing in the dark, and have a torch in your emergency grab bag.
Remember that you will need to walk, run, or bike rather than drive following an earthquake. Roads may be damaged in the earthquake or there may be too many cars on the road, causing traffic jams. The aim is for you and your family to be safe.
Before an event work out what you need to take - Keep essential supplies in a place you can easily access. Have an emergency grab bag, as well as comfortable shoes and warm/waterproof clothes ready. This will help save time if you need to leave quickly. Your grab bag should include water, essential medicines, lightweight snacks, a torch, copies of important documents and photo ID, and pet food if applicable. Remember you have to carry your grab bag as you evacuate so don’t make it too heavy.
If you, or a member of your household or community has a disability that may affect your ability to evacuate in a tsunami, make arrangements now to get the support needed. Information and resources to help people with disabilities prepare for an emergency are available on the Get Ready website at www.getready.govt.nz/prepared/advice-for-disabled-people
Evacuating immediately after a Long OR Strong earthquake is your responsibility - There is no time for an official warning; Self-evacuate out of the tsunami evacuation zone as soon as the shaking stops. Every step towards the tsunami safe zone counts.
Leave quickly - if you feel a long OR strong earthquake, the first tsunami wave may arrive in a little as 15 minutes. There is no time for an official warning; you must evacuate out of the tsunami zone as soon as the shaking stops. Every step towards a tsunami safe zone counts.
Don't drive - roads may be blocked by debris or a traffic jam - For those who can't walk or cycle, trying to drive out is their only option, and you could be preventing them from evacuating safely. If you need help evacuating or know someone that does, have a conversation with your neighbours about how everyone can get out safely. While evacuating avoid hazards cause by earthquake damage.
Do not wait for an official warning - By the time Civil Defence Emergency Management gets a warning up and you search it online, it will be too late. Know the natural warning signs of a tsunami, as they may be your only warning - If you feel a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand up or a weak rolling earthquake that lasts a minute or more, see a sudden rise or fall in sea level, or hear loud and unusual noises from the sea, evacuate immediately.
If a tsunami is coming from a distant or far source earthquake, there will be enough time to issue advisories and warnings. These may be issued through social media, radio, online, and/or an Emergency Mobile Alert.
Only return home after being informed by HBCDEM or emergency services that it is safe to do so. Many people have been killed or injured trying to rescue others in flooded areas. If you can - help people who require special assistance, including infants, elderly people, those without transportation, families who may need additional help in an emergency.
Stay Informed - Stay tuned to a radio station for updated emergency information. The tsunami may have damaged roads, bridges, or other places that may be unsafe.
Stay away from coastline, estuaries, rivers, and streams for at least 24 hours after a tsunami - Waves following a tsunami can pose significant danger. Also stay away from damaged areas, you could be hampering rescue operations, cause further damage or put yourself at risk. Stay away from exposed areas until the official all-clear is given by authorities and emergency services.
Expect aftershocks - If there was a local earthquake expect there to be aftershocks, and that aftershocks may cause further tsunamis. Always remember to Drop, Cover and Hold during an earthquake.
If an earthquake is Long or Strong: Get Gone.
Look at the tsunami evacuation map and find a location that is not in the blue evacuation zone where you can wait safely. Suitable areas might be up hills or in parks or other public spaces. Think about how you would get to your tsunami safe location and practice your tsunami hikoi (evacuation walk).
Keep moving once you reach a safe zone to make space for those following you.
The previous red-orange-yellow zones reflected different locations of the earthquake that caused the tsunami (local, regional, or far source). In the event of a regional or far source earthquake, there will be enough time to issue advisories and warnings. These may be issue through social media, radio, online, and/or an Emergency Mobile Alert.
But in the event of a Long or Strong earthquake (Local source), people have been advised to move inland or to higher ground. Changing to a single blue zone emphasises this need to immediately self-evacuate out of the blue zone after a long or strong earthquake. This single blue zone is becoming the national standard across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Yes, but only in the area between Clifton and Tangoio. Outside of that area, the only change is that the previous three zones have been merged into one blue zone. The limit of that blue zone is the same as the old yellow zone.
Between Clifton and Tangoio, the evacuation zone has become smaller. This is because the modelling done in 2022 contained less uncertainty than the 2011 model. This uncertainty meant the model was based on ‘being on the safe side’ and showing conservative estimates of inundation. The 2022 model was able to reduce a lot of that uncertainty due to better data (e.g. Level 3 LiDAR mapping) and better modelling due to increased computing power.
If you spend time in the blue evacuation zone, you need to know where you will go if you need to evacuate. This means knowing where there is a suitable tsunami safe zone and how you will get there. A safe zone is anywhere outside of the blue tsunami evacuation zone, either inland or uphill.
Wherever possible, we recommend walking or biking, not driving. This is because traffic congestion is a risk when lots of people are all heading in the same direction at once. As well as a risk to your own safety, lots of cars on the road slows down emergency services.
If you have evacuated to a tsunami safe zone, stay there until the all-clear is given. Remember there are multiple waves in a tsunami, and the first wave is not always the biggest.
Please don’t head into a tsunami evacuation zone to collect children from school. The Ministry of Education requires all schools to have their own emergency evacuation plans which they practice and prepare for, including tsunami. Teachers will take students to a planned safe location. If your child’s school is in a tsunami evacuation zone, ask the school what the evacuation plan is.
Once you have reached a safe place outside of the blue evacuation zone, you may need to stay there for a while. We advise you take a grab bag with essentials with you – include items like snacks, water, something to protect you from the weather (rain, cold or sun) and essential medicines.
It is important to think about how you can look after yourself and your whānau while potential damage is being assessed and organized. Listen out for official advisories which could include information on when it is safe to go home, or further required evacuation.
A tsunami is a series of fast traveling waves caused by large disturbances on the ocean floor, such as earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions. A tsunami is made up of very turbulent water – even a small tsunami wave can knock you off your feet. The risk of a tsunami impacts Hawke’s Bay can be separated into near source, regional, or far source.
A near source tsunami could arrive in 15 minutes, potentially caused by an earthquake from the Hikurangi subduction zone. In this instance you need to self-evacuate if you are located within the tsunami evacuation zone. A regional source tsunami could take between one to three hours to reach Hawkes Bay. A distant source tsunami could take more than three hours to reach Hawke’s Bay.
The Hawke’s Bay Hazard Portal (https://gis.hbrc.govt.nz/hazards/) shows the extent of tsunami inundation following a Long or Strong earthquake.
A tsunami will have a number of impacts, including damage from the tsunami wave, an inundation of water, and impact on people, place, and services. The impact from a local tsunami will also likely be in addition to impacts from a preceding earthquake and may also trigger further hazards and their impacts.
Following a tsunami, a significant amount of water is deposited inland causing flooding. Due to the amount of water, this can take time to dissipate, particularly in areas with heightened flood risk. This may impact evacuation, the official response, and the return of normal activity.
In addition, flooding caries its own set of associated risks that need to be considered and managed following a tsunami.
A tsunami wave does not just leave seawater in its wake, a tsunami picks up debris and material as it moves and can leave a large quantity of debris and silt afterwards, these can also become a hazard, and debris and silt can create health risks and impact the response.
The aftermath of a tsunami can increase the risk of fire, and hazardous material releases. Fire can into the environment, contaminating water supplies and threatening public health transportation. The increased risk of a fire or hazardous substance event can impact.
Following a tsunami there may be an increased risk that people will be impacted by illness, due to a condition amongst the displaced population.
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