Anguilla will join other localities in the Caribbean as a participant in the CARIBEWAVE 19 tsunami response exercise on March 14, 2019. The purpose of the exercise is to improve Tsunami Warning System effectiveness in the Caribbean and adjacent regions. The exercise provides an opportunity for emergency management organizations throughout the region to exercise their operational lines of communications, review their tsunami response procedures, and promote tsunami preparedness.
Anguilla’s participation in this exercise is being coordinated by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM). “There is a need for widespread participation in this year’s exercise. Recent regional seismic development reinforces the need for communities to avoid complacency.” Melissa Meade, Director of the Department of Disaster Management opined.
The exercise will simulate a widespread Tsunami Threat situation throughout the Caribbean, based on the hypothetical scenario of a flank collapse of the Kick ‘em Jenny submarine volcano which occurs after a M 6.0 earthquake is detected at 10.00 am. The scenario requires implementation of local tsunami response plans and in response, an evacuation exercise for the Primary Schools and some critical facilities will be carried out.
The Department of Disaster Management will utilize this opportunity to validate the operational readiness of the Tsunami Warning Focal Points and the Tsunami Warning National Contact; improve operational readiness; validate the timeliness and accuracy in the dissemination of warnings and information to critical agencies, stakeholders and the public and examine the effectiveness of tsunami evacuation and business continuity plans. The regional exercise is sponsored by the UNESCO/IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS), the Caribbean Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales en América Central (CEPREDENAC), and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For assistance or further information regarding the Caribe Wave 2019 exercise, please contact alwyn.richardson@gov.ai at the Department of Disaster Management on 497-2926.
Department of Disaster Management
– Press Release
7 February, 2019
