The man, the sea and the $1500 DIY tsunami alert system
Chris Knight was sick and tired of waiting, so built his community a system that could save their lives.
FRUSTRATED at trying to get help from authorities to alert his coastal community in the event of a tsunami, Chris Knight went one better.
He installed a tsunami alert system for less than $1500.
In the house he built above Taieri Mouth, about a 35-minute drive south of Dunedin, Knight likes what he sees. The sea is calm and the sky is blue, but all that could change in the event of a tsunami.
Knight, who moved to New Zealand from the United Kingdom 26 years ago, has a background in the Royal Navy and police.
But his work as an electrical engineer prompted the local Taieri Mouth Amenities Society to ask him if he could investigate an alert system for the several hundred residents late last year.
Knight contacted Civil Defence locally and nationally to ask about an alert system, and whether they could trigger an installed system.
However, there was no interest, he said. ‘‘I ran into a brick wall trying to get assistance... it was just a joke, really.’’
Even asking for a tsunami sign proved fruitless, and so the exasperated Knight ended up making his own for $35 each.
He believed there were many other semi-isolated coastal communities similar to Taieri Beach, which struggled with adequate telecommunications.
A tsunami would head towards the Taieri River ‘‘like a funnel’’, and those on the beach, or on fishing boats, or in low-lying areas could be in trouble. ‘‘Energy has to go somewhere.’’
However, a tsunami siren system would make ‘‘people react’’.
‘‘People are going to say ‘get off the beach... now’.’’
The Taieri Mouth community was divided by the Taieri River with the northern side struggling with broadband, while cellphone coverage had been ‘‘basically dead’’.
A few years ago Knight was able to install broadband at his property more than a decade ago.
Soon word spread, and he was able to supply a neighbour, with other residents quickly following.
And when the Clutha District Council allowed him to have access to a toilet block on the other side of the river, Knight had power and a data feed while more residents would soon have broadband.
That also included putting wi-fi in the local hall, and the
tsunami alert system was ‘‘just a bolt-on, because it is on the network’’.
‘‘There isn’t a huge amount of money involved, just climbing on the roof and putting a safety harness on and bolting the aerials on.’’
Knight had previously installed repeaters, giving residents cellphone coverage until a cell tower was installed late last year.
The tsunami alert system was able to be accessed remotely by some designated residents who could activate the alarm in the event of an emergency. Speakers on the roof of the hall could be heard from the beach to the river gorge, test runs proved.
That compared to previous tsunami alerts in the area, involving members of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, who were based in other towns, going door-to-door to check on residents.
Gary Knowles, National Emergency Management Agency emergency management deputy chief executive, said the agency was responsible for issuing alert warnings.
To ‘‘reach as many people as possible’’ emergency information and warnings would be provided across a range of channels.
That included online and broadcast media, emergency mobile alert, social media and websites.
But a local source tsunami, which could arrive in minutes, meaning there would not be time for an official warning, Knowles said.
It was important to recognise the natural warning signs and act quickly, he said. ‘‘If you’re in a coastal area, and you feel a long or strong earthquake, don’t wait for an official warning; move immediately to the nearest high ground, out of tsunami evacuation zones, or go as far inland as possible.’’
‘I ran into a brick wall trying to get assistance... it was just a joke, really.’ CHRIS KNIGHT, RIGHT