If you hear an emergency siren in or near Samoa at 9 a.m. this Saturday, don’t panic.

Or, rather, practice panicking.  

The National Weather Service and some other agencies along with local companies will be conducting an evacuation drill to help Samoa residents prepare for, as the saying goes, an actual emergency (in this case, specifically a tsunami). Good to know what to do in that event, right Samoa residents?

The text of the National Weather Services’ press release is set out below:

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“This is a drill…

The Samoa Pacific Group and Danco are working with the National Weather Service, the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group, and the Red Cross to conduct a tsunami evacuation drill in Samoa on Saturday, December 6th.  Residents and visitors to Samoa will be able to practice what they should do when a major tsunami is headed for the coast.   

The town’s tsunami siren will be sounded at exactly 9:00 a.m. on Saturday  and participants will follow evacuation routes to a designated tsunami evacuation site.   

The primary goal of the drill is to ensure that Samoa community members know how to evacuate quickly and safely.  Past events have demonstrated that people react better during real tsunamis when they have practiced during an evacuation drill. People who participate in evacuation drills also consistently report that the experience reduces their anxiety about tsunamis.

The siren being used for Saturday’s drill has a range  that can vary significantly depending on weather conditions.  People could possibly hear the siren if they are within five miles of Samoa.  This includes Woodley Island and Arcata Bay, the city of Eureka, Manila, and the beaches around Samoa.”