Tsunami Preparedness in St. Kitts Continues

(ZIZ)– The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is continuing plans to make St. Kitts and Nevis ready to respond to a tsunami warning.

They are planning a table top exercise later this week to simulate a tsunami strike and test the country’s response.

Ivor Blake, an Exercise Planner with NEMA, said they’ll be working with various agencies and one of the main topics will be informing the public quickly.

“How we get that information to the general public that really need it to get out of harm’s way.   So those are some of the systems that we’re gonna test….The Standard Operating Procedures in terms that direct and provide guidance to the individuals who receive the information; what do they do when they get that information.”

He added that when it comes to a tsunami, a speedy response is key.

“For a local Tsunami we probably won’t have much time…and when I say a local tsunami I mean something that’s generated relatively close. From the regional tsunami where we are more at risk we might get from 90 minutes to 2 hours.”

Blake says while tsunamis do not occur often they can have a severe impact on a country so preparations such as these are necessary.

The Table Top Simulation is part of a larger UNESCO project to make the region tsunami ready.