Dots show likely tsunami chaos
The chaos and destruction that might ensue during a tsunami evacuation in Napier is represented by a mass of red dots rushing around the city’s streets.
Each dot is a person and they’re all heading toward Napier Hill, desperate to reach higher ground before the waves hit.
This is what a computer model designed by GNS scientists looks like. It’s designed to save lives by modelling how people will likely evacuate and what can be done to improve or hasten their routes.
Produced for Napier, Lower Hutt and Christchurch, the modelling has been created by researchers and scientists from GNS Science, Massey University, East Coast LAB (Life at the Boundary) and Canterbury University. It will help planners who need to know where people may flee.
The modelling simulates the movement of people who have self-evacuated on foot and shows likely congestion areas during the day and at night.
Japan and Chile, two other earthquakeprone countries, are doing similar modelling but the technology behind it is still being refined.
Project Leader of East Coast LAB (Life at the Boundary) Kate Boersen said congestion, road damage, liquefaction and fallen power lines following a strong earthquake would mean evacuating might not be as easy as some might think.
‘‘That’s why we say it’s really important for people to practise their evacuation route, and that while they practise it that they consider what it would look like after an earthquake,’’ she said.
The Napier modelling looks at the evacuations of the suburbs of Westshore, Ahuriri, Pandora, Napier South, Maraenui, Te Awa and Marewa.
Each person appears as a red dot. When they get to an area of congestion, the dot turns purple.
Where areas of congestion are identified, recommendations will be made to the council and other agencies as to how routes might be improved.
A free public talk will be held tonight with presentations of the computer tsunami evacuation models. It will be at 6pm in the Chapman Pavilion Pettigrew (Lounge 1), McLean Park, Napier.