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Last modified: 25 Oct 2022 4:28pm

A yellow poster with white watermark of a seismograph reading and the text Get Ready to Shake Out 27 October 2022 9:25am National Earthquake Drill and Tsunami Hikoi

Get Ready to ShakeOut.

Our national earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi is about to take place on Thursday 27 October.

At 9.30am, drills will be held in workplaces, schools, marae, and homes across the country, reminding people to Drop, Cover and Hold in an earthquake. In coastal areas people will also be taking part in a tsunami hikoi (evacuation) to practice their ‘Long or Strong Get Gone’ response to an earthquake.

There are lots of ways to help prepare for an earthquake and/or tsunami, Selwyn Emergency Management Officer Jason Flewellen says. “These include visiting getready.govt.nz to refresh your knowledge of what to do, picking up a Selwyn Are You Ready booklet from a Council office or library, and visiting selwyn.getsready.net to sign up for our free emergency alerting system for Selwyn residents,” he says.

The alerting system sends texts and emails to subscribed households, warning of events including tsunami, wildfires, and severe weather.

While we can’t predict earthquakes, scientific research indicates there is a 75 per cent probability of an Alpine Fault earthquake happening in the next 50 years and it is likely to be a magnitude 8+. A great deal of work is going into mapping what the likely impacts would be on Canterbury, Jason says. In the meantime it's important everyone takes steps to prepare to look after themselves and their families.

Remember to visit selwyn.getsready.net and getready.govt.nz to make sure you and your family are well prepared for the future.