Tsunami Warning

By: Blonde Two

Those of you who were Blonde followers two years ago, will remember that last time I was in New Zealand, I experienced an earthquake whilst sitting in a Wellington cafe.

A couple of things have happened since then:

a) Some of the roads in Wellington now have blue lines painted on them which mark the ‘Tsunami Safe Zone’. The advice is to get to safely behind the blue lines if a ‘long’ (more than a minute) or ‘strong’ (one that stops you from standing up) earthquake is felt. This seems like a very sensible idea to me; and indeed, it won an award for ‘public awareness’. A new meaning to the phrase, ‘toe the line’ maybe?

b) Thursday 15th October is the international ‘ShakeOut Day of Action’. This doesn’t refer to a quirky Kiwi dance routine, but rather the idea that everyone in New Zealand (and in other participating countries) takes part in an earthquake drill at the same time. Again, a very good idea. Nothing like a bit of emergency practice just in case. You might spot a Blonde cousin on the ‘ShakeOut’ web page header!

c) The other thing that happened was last Friday night. The earthquake in Chile triggered a tsunami warning across the Pacific. This included New Zealand’s east coast; and although the surge was not predicted to be more than a metre high, the whole thing was taken very seriously. Apparently, the danger is from strong undercurrents and flow out to sea as much as waves overwhelming the shore. I am pleased to report that Norm’s swimming pool did not overflow in the night.