Tossers and the Darwin Gene

From yesterday's tsunami warnings.

Firstly some of those on a fast trip to hell attempting to rid the human race of their genes.

At Takapuna Beach, the warnings didn't keep 76-year-old Eugenia Patras out of the water. Although the beach was quieter than usual, Mrs Patras' attitude to the risk was shared by many as North Shore boaties, waka ama paddlers and the Piha women's surf crew went out on the water.

In New Zealand, people ignored official warnings and raced to beaches to watch the tsunami surge towards land.

Lower Hutt teacher Joe Nawalaniec was left clinging to rocks near Cape Turnagain in southern Hawke's Bay when the surge hit. "The water went milky and turbulent like it was boiling," he said. "It's just a massive big surge of water that starts going up and up and up. You expect it to be a tidal wave but it's not a wave at all." The 45-year-old paua fisherman was aware of the tsunami alerts but thought the wave had passed by.

One might hope he would explain to his next whole school assembly why he ignored the warnings. And council donations to the surf team cease.

And a special place in hell is permanently reserved for all those that infest bureaucracies. Particularly those local council and civil defence tossers who came out in droves over the past 24 hour hours.

An hour after Saturday night's earthquake, about 8.30pm, Civil Defence said there was no risk of a tsunami coming to New Zealand. Towards midnight, a warning was finally issued. This was unacceptable, in my view. It was far too late and explains why so many people on the beaches on Sunday morning had no clue a tsunami was even coming.

A North Shore City councillor says the council's tsunami-alert service sent out an automated message to residents' phones yesterday morning telling them the warning was a practice. The failure by Civil Defence to load the correct message could have led to dire consequences. There was not even a follow-up correcting the error.

Dunedin police closed city beaches about 9am yesterday, shortly after the Otago Daily Times was told by Dunedin City Council civil defence manager Neil Brown there was no risk to the city.

May both sorts of tosser burn long in the hellfire of damnation.

(Copy flogged from Herald, Stuff and ODT)