Wave warning well handled

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34037, 29 December 1975, Page 1

Wave warning well handled

The Civil Defencei group controller fori ■ Christchurch (Mr P. G. Scoular) was "very: happy” with the way! Saturday's tidal-wave; warning was handled. The warning resulted from’ an earthquake near Tonga, of I force 7.6 on the Richter scale.! , early on Saturday morning. Although no tidal wave occurred. the early warning was necessary because the, ■ earthquake was so close to New Zealand. 1 On receipt of the warning' about 8 a.m.. the Christ-, ichurch Civil Defence organisation prepared to move thousands of people from coastal area.-., from Diamond Harbour to Brooklands, until an all-clear was given at 9.30 am I'he tidal-wave warning was a set piece, said Mr Scoular. and lhe procedures had been followed precisely. Everything was well under-, control by the time the allclear came. New Zealand is connected ito the United States Pacific jwarning system, and the! iwarning message came from, I Honolulu, through Wellington, and was received in I Christchurch by the Town i Clerk (Mr J. H. Gray).

‘Horrified* ; Mr Scoular was at his' (holiday home in Takamatua’ (when Mr Gray telephoned, ihim just after 8 a.m. The] (Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H G. Hay) was staying in Aka-, rda. and he and Mr Scoular; 'travelled to Christchurch to-, jgether by car, keeping in ■touch with developments (through the radio-telephone in Mr Scoular’s vehicle. ] '1 he Minister of Civil De-; 'fence (Mr Highet) last even-' ' mg praised the Civil Defence 1 authorities fur the efficiency and smoothness of their.; (work on Saturday . morning] [ —but the'■ Director of Civil] (Defence (Major-General R. D. ■' (Dawson) was "horrified” by] ‘the thousands of people who; ■flocked to beaches and low-; lying coastal areas after' (learning of the warning, a; ■Press Association message i from Wellington said. ,] “1 was very concerned] I'that people just walked into] .(what could have been a] ] dangerous situation,” he; ijsaid. “People just will do] i these things, though.” i( General Dawson said he; fiwas quite happy with the! :'way in which the Post Office,] 'the police, and radio stations!

had co-operated to warn people of the alert. The official yearning yvas. issued to all police stations and selected radio stations at; 7.45 a.m., after General Dawson had calculated that the wave would reach North Cape at 9 a.m. if it had been generated. But there were no reports of campers along New Zealand’s east, coast packing their gear and heading to higher ground. Instead, many went to the beaches with their children, and were disappointed tvhen the big wave failed to arrive.. Education “It's a very difficult question as to hoyv you stop people from ignoring warnings." General Dawson said.“You cannot really legislate against it. I think it is a matter of public, education. ’ At Tiniaru. lhe Civil Defence controller (Mr D. E Pearson) precluded people from venturing on to Caro line Bay. which yvas barricaded at both ends until the situation yvas clarified. In North Island areas, beaches yyere cleared, and campers. picnickers, and holidaymakers . yvere generally 7 co-operative in observing the warning.