The communities of Laborie, Saint Lucia and Portsmouth, Dominica were recognized as Tsunami Ready by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC).
Ceremonies were held on September 24 and 26 respectively to celebrate these two communities, which are the first to be recognized in their respective countries. Participating in the ceremony were two NTHMP CC members, Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade of the International Tsunami Information Center-Caribbean Office, project lead and Regina Browne of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency in representation of UNESCO/IOC and its Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunamis and other Coastal Hazards for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (CARIBE-EWS).
Laborie is a fishing community of 7363 people located in the southern shores of Saint Lucia. It faces tsunami threats from local earthquake sources, submarine landslides and neighboring volcanoes, including Kick ‘em Jenny. The Laborie District Disaster Management Committee led the implementation process, which took over two years. The Boys’ and Girls’ Primary School participated in awareness, preparedness and response activities and attended the ceremony. In addition to radio and instant messaging to disseminate alerts, traditional methods like church bells, and conch shells are used to alert the population. The ceremony coincided with the homecoming of Julien Alfred, Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist in the 100 m and 200 m races. As the reigning champion, there are hopes that she could serve as a spokesperson for tsunami response.
Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, with 3,630 inhabitants located on the Northwest corner of Dominica. It hosts a very popular sailing event, Sail Portsmouth during which tall ships from around the world anchor in the natural harbor.
Portsmouth was chosen by the national authorities to implement the program because of tsunami travel times as short as 4 minutes and significant flooding according to the country-wide tsunami hazard assessment conducted by the Tsunami Warning Center of Costa Rica as part of the project. Her Worship, the Mayor Kerry Prince was instrumental in ensuring a whole community approach for the implementation of the Tsunami Ready program.
Fisher folk, health professionals, fire and police officers, local residents and schoolchildren were all engaged. They provided input on the evacuation map, identifying key sites for signage and participating in community exercises.
The Tsunami Ready recognition process in Saint Lucia and Dominica was supported by the International Tsunami Information Center Caribbean Office in coordination with the Caribbean Tsunami Information Center. Funding was provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Both countries look forward to implementing Tsunami Ready in their other at risk communities.
This article was written by Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade (ITIC Deputy Director, ITIC CAR Manager) and Alison Brome (Head of CTIC), and was originally published on the website of the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Programme, an endorsed Ocean Decade Action.