Five newly installed tsunami warning sirens will be tested tomorrow Friday 10 May between 12:00-4:00pm around Nuku’alofa and in the Hihifo villages of Afa and Talafo‘ou.

The Director of National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), Leveni ‘Aho and head meteorologist ‘Ofa Fa’anunu said the drill will test if the sirens can be heard by surrounding residents and to familiarise people with the sound of the system.

They said the sirens would sound like “an air-raid siren in war movies” and wanted to inform the public that the level of noise could cause “some discomfort or inconvenience.”

The pilot siren network mounted on five selected Digicel towers around the Nuku'alofa CBD and Eastern District is a way of pursuing a national alert system for the Tonga islands, which have an extreme tsunami risk on the low-lying but heavily populated islands of Tongatapu and Lifuka.

'Ofa said that the highest risk to Tonga was posed by a tsunami wave generated from the Tonga Trench which could reach Tongatapu in 10 minutes.

A clear evacuation plan is still being formulated for the low-lying areas of Tongatapu. 'Ofa said options for easier escape locations were being considered for residents in Nuku alofa and they were looking at high areas in and around the capital.

The sirens purchased under SOPAC assistance are located on the Digicel towers at Afa, Talafo’ou, Popua, Pili and Sia-ko-Veiongo.

The project is a collaboration with the National Meteorological Services of the Ministry of Infrastructure in collaboration with the Geoscience division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and  Digicel who are credited with the design and installation of the system. Digicel will also support the on-going power and communications for the sound system.