- Jul 2, 2018
- 2,793
"Kia Ora, Good Morning,
In the late hours of last night I was advised by the Chilean Government that a 9.5-magnitude earthquake had struck the Chilean coastline. Following that I was then advised by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management that the possibility of a tsunami, a strong tsunami hitting New Zealand was very likely. We have activated all our plans relating to a tsunami hitting the New Zealand coastline and we in cabinet have begun preparations for that. Currently we are stationed inside the Beehive Bunker and we will be giving regularly updates to the situation unfolding. At this point in time we expect the tsunami to begin hitting New Zealand in 10 hours and the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau in about 7 hours. Our emergency alerts have gone out through sirens, television and radio and we ask all New Zealands in the following areas to immediately evacuate if you are in a tsunami evacuation zone; Northland on the eastern coastline, Auckland on the coastline north of Waiwera, Waikato on the eastern coastline, the Bay of Plenty coastline, Gisborne coastline, Hawke's Bay coastline, Manawatu-Wanganui on the eastern coastline, Wellington on the eastern coastline, Marlborough coastline, Canterbury coastline and Otago coastline. This ordered evacuation also extends to all residents of the Chatham Islands which can expect the Tsunami in 9 hours and everybody who is on any of the outlying islands of New Zealand, including in Antarctica in the Ross Dependency. Furthermore there are advisories in place for people in the following areas in tsunami evacuation zones; Auckland on the coastline between Waiwera and Whakatiwai, Manawatu-Wanganui on the western coastline, Wellington inside Wellington Harbour, Nelson coastline, Tasman coastline, Southland on the southern coastline. If you are currently out at sea, return to port immediately. If you are unable to get to port quick enough please make sure your boat and crew are prepared for big waves.
This is serious. If you are in an ordered tsunami evacuation zone YOU MUST evacuate to higher ground or inland. Police will be going around knocking on doors and assisting residents along with controlling traffic out of these areas. At this point in time I ask ALL NEW ZEALANDERS to stop non-essential travel and to make the roads clear for emergency services and those who are evacuating. This is non-negotiable and I have declared a State of Emergency and police powers will be extended to stop you from doing this. I ask all New Zealanders to keep in their thoughts and prayers the people of the Pacific Islands, who are our neighbours and our friends and will need our uptmost support in the aftermath. We also extend our condolences to Chile and those who have lost their lives there. Please stay calm and listen to all orders from local authorities, the Police and us here in the Government. This way we can save lives and minimise the impact that this tsunami will have on the country.
Thank you."
