Lives lost in New Zealand's only fatal tsunami will be remembered on Tuesday.
Scientists are attending a memorial at the Chatham Islands, where up to 20 people died from the effects of a seafloor earthquake near Peru in 1868.
At 1am on August 15, people in the Tupuangi village on the northwest coast of the Chatham Islands woke to a loud roar as a massive wave surged inland. Three families were washed away while survivors scrambled to higher ground.
Lyttelton, Banks Peninsula, Lyttelton, Oamaru, Timaru and Port Chalmers in Dunedin also bore the brunt of the impact in New Zealand.
Senior scientist at GNS Science Dr Hamish Campbell told Newshub the memorial is about acknowledging global devastation.
"Spare a thought for our neighbours in South America, Peru and Chile - they lost an estimated 25,000 lives," he said.
Dr Campbell hopes the event will remind Kiwis to be vigilant if a natural hazard strikes, as New Zealand is particularly vulnerable.
"We are prone to such events emanating from big earthquakes impacting on the ocean floor off the coast of South America," he said.
The golden rule is if people feel earthquake shaking that lasts for a minute or longer, or if they feel strong shaking that makes it hard to stand up, they should evacuate immediately inland or to higher ground.
Newshub.
