Anguilla Warning System siren tests were held on the island on Tuesday 23rd July. During the tests, residents in the immediate surrounding area heard the siren activate several times with an announcement stating “this is a siren test and there is no need for action”.
The prototype siren, installed on the tower next to Social Security in The Valley, is the test platform for the eventual expansion of the Anguilla Warning System. This will see sirens placed on FLOW telecommunication towers in vulnerable communities to enhance the reach of the Warning System and ensure that critical lifesaving information can be delivered to residents in a timely manner. The expansion of the Anguilla Warning System, to include sirens, has been a long running goal of the Department of Disaster Management and its partner, the Anguilla Red Cross which purchased the initial units in 2015 as part of a Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment for the Blowing Point and West End Communities.
This partnership is working to acquire more sirens to install in other vulnerable communities in addition to the two pilot communities identified. It is hoped to have the project concluded before the end of Hurricane Season 2019.
The installation of these sirens would make Anguilla the first user of Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) based voice sirens in the Caribbean. This will further enhance the Anguilla Warning System and maintain the island’s leadership in the field of Early Warning in the region.
– Press Release
