Last month's tsunami may not have had much of an impact in Taranaki - but Civil Defence says the event certainly proved the worth of the region's text alert system.
A mid-morning text alert was sent to nearly 3,200 Taranaki subscribers on Sunday, 28 February, advising them that a national tsunami warning was in place and that they should listen to their radios or go to the Taranaki Regional Council website, www.trc.govt.nz, for more information.
Taranaki people can subscribe to the alert service for free by texting OPTN TCD to 2678.
One result of the 28 February alert was that website traffic more than doubled as people checked prominently displayed bulletins that were updated during the day. Updates were also fed to the local studios of the two main commercial radio networks, which broadcast them as regional break-outs from normal programming.
"We're confident that between the text alerts and the great co-operation of the radio networks, we got our message to as many people as possible," says the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Controller, David Lean.
"While the main focus of the tsunami warning was the eastern seaboard, it was important for Taranaki people to understand that at the very least, our coast may also experience unusual surges and currents that could easily take swimmers and boaties unaware.
"It was a sunny Sunday morning and many people would have been drawn to the coast. In the initial stages, when it was unclear what impact the tsunami may have, it was responsible and prudent to advise caution rather than allow people to unknowingly put themselves at potential risk," he says.
"As the event unfolded and it became clearer that the risk to Taranaki was minimal, we changed our messages to reflect that."
Mr Lean says the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group's text alert service has 3,188 subscribers "and many of those would have forwarded our alert to their own contacts".
Website hits for the day totalled 1,546, well above normal weekend traffic. "On the previous Sunday, for example, there were 643 hits."
He says the text service proved its value as a "heads up", alerting people to a potential danger and telling them where to find more information.
"That's exactly what it's intended to be. It doesn't mean anyone - Civil Defence workers or the public - can be relaxed about preparing for the prospect of an emergency. People still need heed those Get Ready, Get Thru messages and prepare now, not when the warning comes."
To subscribe to the alert service, text OPTN TCD to 2678. There is no charge.