Approximately 70 schools and businesses took part in Thursday’s Caribe Wave Tsunami Exercise, surpassing last year’s count of 25.
Among those involved in the drill, which tests tsunami readiness throughout the region, were pre-schoolers, students from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, and employees from the public and private sectors, the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) said in a press release.
The annual exercise was coordinated by NODS and supported by several partners, namely the District Disaster Committees, the Met Office, the Police and Defence forces, the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross, the Emergency Medical Services, and the Antigua and Barbuda Search and Rescue.
Antigua and Barbuda simulated an earthquake that took place in the Puerto Rico Trench. Participants were required to safely and quickly evacuate to their tsunami safe areas, which was achieved generally.
Among the issues noted were the need for entities to develop disaster management plans that cover all hazards, including tsunamis, and conduct regular drills. Individuals must be aware of what is in the plan and what actions they should take.
The drill was triggered by an alert sent via the app, the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) which some residents have downloaded to their smartphones.
NODS continues to note several challenges with the app; for example, some individuals are unable to access it on their phones while others cannot get it downloaded.
However, NODS continues to work with its partners to rectify the issues, the release said.
