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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'Wouldn't you rather have more warning than less?'
All 45 tsunami alert sirens from Taylors Mistake to Brooklands will go after a review found they could cause confusion and delays during an emergency. A report to the Christchurch City Council recommended the use of emergency mobile alerts sent directly to compatible cell phones as the new primary method to raise the alarm of a tsunami. The phone alerts are still received even if the network is down. New sirens could be installed in vulnerable locations where there is limited cell phone coverage. The number of sirens and locations has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be in the range of four to six. But people in Sumner are at odds with the city council over the decision. Sumner Community Residents' Association chair Andrea Davis said the removal of the sirens would impact on elderly residents. 'These older people, they don't pay attention to their phones. They don't have their phones in their pockets like younger people,' she said. 'I just think it's a little bit silly to take sirens away that are already there. I mean, wouldn't you rather have more warning than less?' Davis said. She also emphasised the sirens' importance for beach-goers. ' I would hope that they understand that there are thousands of people here on a weekend in the summer and we actually need sirens.' However, New Brighton Residents Association spokesperson Brian Donovan has a different view. 'I think it's probably the right decision. There's more to warning people in this environment than just relying on sirens.' He said sirens had proved to be susceptible to human error. The tsunami alert sirens failed to sound during a planned test in April, because the Auckland-based contractor responsible for setting them off was dealing with a car crash outside their property at the time. The network trigger could not be operated locally. The city council conceded having an emergency system so dependent on one person was unacceptable. Donovan said a big issue facing people in New Brighton was getting away from the area in the event of a tsunami - the Pages Rd bridge being too much of a bottleneck. Plans are under way to replace the earthquake-damaged Pages Rd bridge, which was left off the Government's fast-track project list last year. The city council safety review found the ageing tsunami warning system was not fit-for-purpose and should no longer be considered suitable as a primary alert method. It noted the sirens provide limited information on the hazard, were reliant on power and could be inaudible in windy conditions. The sirens were established on ageing technology and infrastructure, and needed to be upgraded or replaced soon as they near the end of their 15-year life cycle. However, the city council ruled out both options, saying it would be expensive and not be fit-for-purpose. Decommissioning and removing the existing 45 tsunami warning sirens and installing four to six new ones is expected to cost $2.6m. Operation and maintenance of the new sirens will cost $70,000 a year. A city council spokesperson said the planned test of the tsunami alert sirens on Sunday, July 13, will still go ahead.
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tsunami warning sirens could be reduced
A major shake-up looms for the tsunami warning system after testing failed. There are concerns the siren network along Canterbury beaches is unfit for purpose as a primary emergency mechanism due to its age and outdated technology. A scheduled testing of 45 tsunami sirens between Brooklands and Taylors Mistake failed in April when the sole operator of the technology, based in Auckland, was dealing with a car accident outside their house at the time the sirens were scheduled to go off. The current multi-modal warning system incorporates emergency mobile alerts (EMAs), radio broadcasts, emergency services, traditional and social media, and sirens. There is a proposal to reduce the 45 sirens to about 10 located at specific points where the efficiency of alerting systems such as EMAs may be reduced. It will be discussed by the city council on June 10. Locations of the 10 sirens may include areas where people are less likely to have cell phones. Sumner Community Residents' Association chair Andrea Davis and New Brighton Residents Association spokesperson Brian Donovan are welcoming the proposed changes. They say reliance on the current manual system for the sirens was flawed. Said Davis: 'It (siren test failure) highlighted the fact the system is not automated. From our point of view, a foolproof automated system is what is needed. 'Quality over quantity, the more people who are prepared the better – you have a text and a siren, there is no indecision.' Said Donovan: 'You cannot rely on one system, our view is a multi-functional response is best and this is along the right lines. 'Find the most effective way to alert people in a combined fashion which is the tsunami alarm going off and the cellphone buzz. 'As long as people know the processes it will be effective, last time was a bit of a wake-up because it's an awareness we have to live with. 'Getting an effective alert system is a good starting point and other discussions will flow from there,' he said. The sirens were installed in 2012 and 2015 are coming to the end of their operating life of 15 years, with upgrades planned in 2027 and 2030. Coastal Ward city councillor Celeste Donovan said the proposal was a start but more detail would be needed. 'It is a useful starting point, an introduction to the key issues and what will be useful to understand going forward. 'Sirens are one tool, we need to look at the bigger picture of where the sirens are and why they are there and how they will operate.' She said the issues with the sirens was known, but how the new technology would look like was not. 'Nationally we need to be consistent, but be sure to cater to what the local communities need they are serving – what is an emergency plan in Sumner with the hill will be different compared to open coastlines. 'Part of the puzzle is updating the sirens.' The sirens help provide an early warning for distant-source tsunamis, which could take more than three hours to hit Christchurch's coastline. Siren tests are done twice a year at the start and end of daylight savings to check the system is functioning. During a test, residents hear a tone and the message: 'This is a test of the tsunami warning sirens. Do not be alarmed. This is only a test.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Affordable housing coming to Hamilton County shows 'momentum,' advocates say
Three housing complexes in Hamilton County will be under construction this year to tap a small dent in the area's stubborn shortage of affordable housing. But even that limited forward progress counts as giant steps in a field where funding, commitment, cooperation and available land are scarce. 'Our word of the year was 'momentum,'' said Andrea Davis, executive director of Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development, a nonprofit that builds low-cost homes. 'We hope to keep it going.' Two projects – in Noblesville and Carmel – headed by HAND are scheduled to break ground in the next few months. The other, a much larger project by an Indianapolis developer, is under construction in Noblesville. In addition, two developments by HAND were completed last year: Cumberland Cottages in Fishers and in Noblesville's Plum Prairie district. 'Our goal now is to identify two projects every year that we can pursue,' Davis said. The two developments to start construction this year are: Stony Creek Duets, which consists of six three-bedroom apartments at 1500 Greenfield Ave. with plans to add six more when new funding comes in. The $2 million project is paid for mostly by a $1.3 million Indiana Housing and Community Development grant. Home Place Duets at 1040 E. 108th St. in Carmel. The complex is a $3 million HAND development of six apartments financed with a $1.7 million Hamilton County Housing & Community Development Authority American Rescue Plan of 2021 grant. The homes in both developments will be rented to households earning up to 60% of the area median income, capped at $55,620 for a three-person household or $61,740 for a four-person household. Already under construction are the Townhouses at Stony Creek at 1225 S. 16th St., Noblesville. The $15.2 million development will have 39 townhouses in five buildings renting to families making below 60%, 50% and 30% of the area median income of $102,900 for a family of four. The project by Indianapolis-based T&H Investments, just blocks from HAND's Stony Creek Duets, is one of the larger low-income projects in Hamilton County. It sits in an industrial zone just south of a government public works building and was a trailer park until 2006. On the site recently, a dozen construction workers finished driving nails into the wooden frames of the first building on the north end of the project while excavators moved dirt and cement mixers stood ready to prepare the foundations for some of the other four buildings. 'We're moving fast after some weather delays earlier this season,' T & H Site Superintendent Mike Wheatley said, as he stood next to a large pile of lumber planks. 'As far as know we've purchased all the supplies we need and are on schedule.' The first building will be a row of 11 two-story townhouses with three bedrooms on the second floor, he said. The other four buildings will have fewer units but with identical layouts. Surface parking will separate the buildings and a community center will be built near the entrance to the development. The apartments will be available for families making below 60%, 50% and 30% of the area median income, with 20% set aside for people with disabilities. Other proposals since 2006 to put low-income housing on the site have failed. The most recent was in 2016, when developer Real America submitted plans to build low-income housing for people 55 years of age and older. But its application for tax credits was denied, and the project was dropped. A 2022 Housing Needs study found that nearly 19,000 Hamilton County households, or one in four, spend more than 30% of their income on rent, a yardstick set by the federal government to define cost-burdened households. Many spend more than half of their income on rent or mortgage payments. Aimee Jacobsen, executive director of the Noblesville Housing Authority, which oversees public housing countywide, said unattainable rents and home prices make it difficult for working class families to find places to live. 'That's much of the workforce, like teachers, emergency responders,' she said. The county has about 1,900 low-income units available through housing vouchers, one Section 8 development and 10 'tax credit' complexes that were built with substantial government subsidies to provide fair market rentals. Jacobsen said increasingly political, business and corporate leaders are recognizing affordable housing as a problem. Each of the county's four large cities has had committees study the problem. 'I think they see it as a priority,' she said. T & H Vice-President of Development Scarlett Andrews said Noblesville and Hamilton County were cooperative as the company navigated funding, zoning and permitting approvals. 'This site has seen multiple possible iterations,' she said. 'We were lucky to have full support.' 'Hopefully, this will turn out to be a meaningful project," she said. Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317-444-6418 or email him at Follow him on Facebook and X/Twitter. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Affordable housing coming to Hamilton County shows 'momentum,' advocates say
Indianapolis Star
15-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Affordable housing coming to Hamilton County shows 'momentum,' advocates say
Three housing complexes in Hamilton County will be under construction this year to tap a small dent in the area's stubborn shortage of affordable housing. But even that limited forward progress counts as giant steps in a field where funding, commitment, cooperation and available land are scarce. 'Our word of the year was 'momentum,'' said Andrea Davis, executive director of Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development, a nonprofit that builds low-cost homes. 'We hope to keep it going.' Two projects – in Noblesville and Carmel – headed by HAND are scheduled to break ground in the next few months. The other, a much larger project by an Indianapolis developer, is under construction in Noblesville. In addition, two developments by HAND were completed last year: Cumberland Cottages in Fishers and in Noblesville's Plum Prairie district. 'Our goal now is to identify two projects every year that we can pursue,' Davis said. The two developments to start construction this year are: The homes in both developments will be rented to households earning up to 60% of the area median income, capped at $55,620 for a three-person household or $61,740 for a four-person household. Already under construction are the Townhouses at Stony Creek at 1225 S. 16th St., Noblesville. The $15.2 million development will have 39 townhouses in five buildings renting to families making below 60%, 50% and 30% of the area median income of $102,900 for a family of four. The project by Indianapolis-based T&H Investments, just blocks from HAND's Stony Creek Duets, is one of the larger low-income projects in Hamilton County. It sits in an industrial zone just south of a government public works building and was a trailer park until 2006. On the site recently, a dozen construction workers finished driving nails into the wooden frames of the first building on the north end of the project while excavators moved dirt and cement mixers stood ready to prepare the foundations for some of the other four buildings. 'We're moving fast after some weather delays earlier this season,' T & H Site Superintendent Mike Wheatley said, as he stood next to a large pile of lumber planks. 'As far as know we've purchased all the supplies we need and are on schedule.' The first building will be a row of 11 two-story townhouses with three bedrooms on the second floor, he said. The other four buildings will have fewer units but with identical layouts. Surface parking will separate the buildings and a community center will be built near the entrance to the development. The apartments will be available for families making below 60%, 50% and 30% of the area median income, with 20% set aside for people with disabilities. Other proposals since 2006 to put low-income housing on the site have failed. The most recent was in 2016, when developer Real America submitted plans to build low-income housing for people 55 years of age and older. But its application for tax credits was denied, and the project was dropped. A 2022 Housing Needs study found that nearly 19,000 Hamilton County households, or one in four, spend more than 30% of their income on rent, a yardstick set by the federal government to define cost-burdened households. Many spend more than half of their income on rent or mortgage payments. Aimee Jacobsen, executive director of the Noblesville Housing Authority, which oversees public housing countywide, said unattainable rents and home prices make it difficult for working class families to find places to live. 'That's much of the workforce, like teachers, emergency responders,' she said. The county has about 1,900 low-income units available through housing vouchers, one Section 8 development and 10 'tax credit' complexes that were built with substantial government subsidies to provide fair market rentals. Jacobsen said increasingly political, business and corporate leaders are recognizing affordable housing as a problem. Each of the county's four large cities has had committees study the problem. 'I think they see it as a priority,' she said. T & H Vice-President of Development Scarlett Andrews said Noblesville and Hamilton County were cooperative as the company navigated funding, zoning and permitting approvals. 'This site has seen multiple possible iterations,' she said. 'We were lucky to have full support.' 'Hopefully, this will turn out to be a meaningful project," she said.
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cryplex Reaches 625,000 Nodes and 75,000+ Users, Launches Full Details on Rewards and Storage Tech
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / April 15, 2025 / Cryplex, the DePIN-based decentralized storage network, has reached a major milestone with over 625,000 connected nodes and 75,000 active users. The platform turns unused disk space into a high-performance network for storing and delivering training data-rewarding contributors with CPX tokens and daily profit-sharing opportunities. Cryplex is built to scale globally. It uses horizontal scaling by adding new user-contributed devices, each providing storage and bandwidth. It operates on IPFS and Swarm to distribute data efficiently and uses high-performance blockchains like Solana and Avalanche to process thousands of microtransactions without delays. Data access is optimized through smart caching and parallel retrieval, allowing users to access large datasets in under five seconds. The platform also ensures 99.9% uptime with built-in fault tolerance, AI monitoring, and multiple redundant storage copies across the globe. Reward Distribution: Transparent and Performance-Based Cryplex's reward system is built around Cryplex Points. Users earn 0.8 points per minute per 1GB of shared storage. These points determine how much CPX a user receives during regular token airdrops. The more points a node earns, the higher its share of tokens. Performance matters. Nodes with high uptime, fast data handling, and reliable performance earn dynamic bonuses on top of base rewards. Users can also boost their earnings by inviting others through a referral system that grants bonus points for each successful sign-up. Rewards don't stop at tokens. Cryplex offers profit-sharing to top node operators-daily revenue paid out in stablecoins like $SOL, based on each user's contribution. This model encourages long-term participation and supports consistent network growth. Tiered incentives also give higher rewards to users who run multiple nodes or maintain long-term uptime. Feature Set: Built for Security, Speed, and Scale Cryplex offers a complete set of features designed for both individual users and developers: Cryplex stands apart from other DePIN or storage-based platforms by combining real rewards, strong encryption, scalable infrastructure, and low entry barriers for users worldwide. Whether running one device or deploying at scale, users benefit directly from their contributions to the network. About Cryplex Cryplex is a decentralized storage platform that uses idle device space to create a secure, high-speed storage network. Built with DePIN technology and powered by Cryplex Points, the system rewards users with CPX tokens based on their contribution. With more than 625,000 nodes and 75,000 users, Cryplex supports large-scale data storage and retrieval while staying fast, safe, and fully decentralized. To learn more, contribute storage, or begin development on Cryplex, visit or connect via Discord, X, or the Telegram channel. Media Contact: Name: Andrea Davis Company Name: Cryplex AI Country and City: USA Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Cryplex AI press release
