NEMA to Conduct an Evacuation Exercise

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 22, 2022 — The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as part of its ongoing exercise in observance of CARIBE  WAVE will be conducting an Evacuation Exercise of one of the districts later this week. 

The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen the nation’s tsunami warning and preparation systems by testing first responders and residents’ responsiveness in the event of an earthquake or tsunami. A tsunami is a series of waves triggered by geological processes such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and meteorite impacts.  

Tsunamis travel rapidly, and a lack of attention to this hazard could be disastrous since a tsunami could strike just minutes after being triggered by an earthquake, giving people minimum time to evacuate to a safe location. 

NEMA continues to strengthened tsunami warnings and preparations through risk assessment, public education,  detection and forecasting, and warning-center operations. 

The agency tested its alert system on March 10th through a communication exercise as a part of the Federation’s participation in Caribe Wave 2022. 

Other activities will be ongoing throughout the month of March in observance of Caribe Wave.