Search for your property at Canterbury tsunami evacuation zones. You can see tsunami evacuation zones for other parts of New Zealand on the national tsunami evacuation zone map.
You should leave, or stay out of, the blue tsunami evacuation zone if you:
Leave as soon as possible after the shaking stops. Do not wait for an emergency mobile alert on your phone or any other official warning – there may not be time to send one.
In urban areas, walk or bike if you can, so you don’t get stuck in traffic.
Stay out of the blue tsunami evacuation zone until you are told it is safe to return.
If a tsunami is coming from further away, such as from the Pacific Islands or across the Pacific Ocean, you won’t feel the earthquake but there will be time to send an official tsunami advisory or warning. This will tell you which areas to evacuate from or stay out of. You may not need to evacuate the whole blue tsunami evacuation zone – you may just need to stay out of the sea, lagoons, estuaries, river mouths and off beaches.
For more information on how to evacuate and where to go, see our tsunami pages on the Environment Canterbury website, the CDEM Canterbury website, or contact your local city or district council.
https://www.ecan.govt.nz/your-region/your-environment/natural-hazards/tsunamis/tsunami-evacuation-zones-and-warnings
https://www.cdemcanterbury.govt.nz/hazards/tsunamis
You do not need to evacuate if you feel a long or strong earthquake. Evacuating when you don’t need to can add to traffic on the roads, making it difficult for people who are in the blue zone to get out.
You could help someone else – could friends or family who live in an evacuation zone come to you if they have to evacuate?