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Tsunami signs to be placed in New Zealand

By Xinhua,

Wellington : Tsunami signs will soon be going up as the New Zealand government has released a national design standard, Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker said on Monday

Barker said on Monday that the signs would indicate tsunami evacuation zones, evacuation routes for vehicles and pedestrians, tsunami safe locations and information boards.

“The national standard will mean that wherever people travel in the country the signs will look the same and mean the same things,” the New Zealand Press Association quoted him as saying.

“The signs should also be familiar to overseas tourists, as they are based on international best practice,” he said.

Barker said local authorities would decide where to put the signs.

“In the event of a tsunami generated by an earthquake near the coast, there is no warning system in the world that can alert people in time,” he said. “People must understand that if they are near the coast and feel a strong earthquake, a tsunami may arrive in only minutes.”