Life And Society / Civil Defence

Graham Leonard: how prepared are we for a tsunami?

09:40 am on 16 September 2023

Damage from the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, 2011 Photo: Stuart Fraser

Long or Strong - Get Gone! -  most of us know this advice on when to evacuate due to tsunami risk following an earthquake, but if it happened would we actually act? 

Surveys suggest around a third of New Zealanders would either not evacuate, or not evacuate fast enough in the event of a tsunami. 

GNS Principal scientist Graham Leonard is in to talk about tsunami risk in New Zealand and what's being done to plan and prepare for one. 

Research shows that regular drills are key to preparedness, and an opportunity is coming up next month with the Tsunami Hikoi

Tsunami evacuation ramp to the top of Hatfield Marine Science Center in Oregon, USA Photo: supplied

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