Gisborne is latest wake-up call showing that Mount/Papamoa needs tsunami/disaster practical alarm sirens that work, not inoperative or turned off! Warnings, no matter how prompt, are no good without alarms. Local Neighbourhood Watch Groups should where possible be organised to act as lookouts for neighbours, with some guidelines.

Mount/Papamoa emergency escape routes – well marked – should long since have been in place. Targeting Maungatawa Hill and Baypark Stadium would assist and in the past, someone should have had the brains to provide an extension off Palm Beach Boulevard to link up with Bruce Road, accessing Kairua Road and Papamoa Hills.

Full marks to those who are pushing for defined, well marked evacuation routes and exit roads out of Papamoa in the event of a disaster emergency. Papamoa residents, just ignore TCC prevarication, go straight to TECT requesting a $200,000 grant to install 10 fit-for-purpose air-raid type sirens. Sited properly, no RMA consents are required and these sirens will give the Mount/Papamoa residents a disaster warning system.

Just sideline irrelevant TCC and elected members who have done nothing for nearly five years, and that includes the current Mount/Papamoa ward councillors. Get on with the installation now – mounds and bridges to nowhere aren't the answers.

Before people can take any evasive action, warning systems need to be in place, otherwise they won't even know there is a problem, let alone access the evacuation routes.

While the above is not an ideal solution, or foolproof, doing nothing with sirens is not the answer or even a viable option.

S.L.Paterson, Arataki