In conjunction with National Tsunami Awareness Week, the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency will launch its first education campaign to raise awareness about earthquake and tsunami Tuesday with the premier of a public service announcement featuring Eudora Kean High School students.
The students won VITEMA’s Youth Tsunami PSA Competition held in January as part of the education campaign and to engage Virgin Islands youth in disaster preparedness.
VITEMA spokesman Christine Lett said Director Elton Lewis will be at the school to showcase the public service announcement. The announcement, produced by the St. Thomas-based Lambert Media Team, will also air on local television from April to March 2014.
The Youth Tsunami PSA is part of a series that also includes a Spanish-language announcement produced by St. Croix’s Aqua Media, which will also begin airing in April, and a tsunami sign education announcement to be aired by the start of August.
In addition to PSAs, VITEMA has coordinated tsunami awareness training for schools and government agencies, and will provide presentations to various communities about the risk of tsunami and how to be ready.
Lett said residents should prepare for earthquakes as well as tsunamis. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s when,” she said of the chances for one to hit the territory.
VITEMA expanded its mission beyond hurricanes in 2009 when it began to prepare for all types of natural and manmade hazards including earthquakes and tsunamis.
Lewis said, “Our major concern is that, unlike a major storm or hurricane, a local tsunami could reach our coastline within minutes. There is no time to prepare, only to react.”
“Public education is crucial. It’s extremely important that everyone understands how to respond,” he said.
Lewis said the natural warning sign of a tsunami is a receding shoreline. “At that point, if you are near the shoreline, the only option is to run for higher ground as fast as you can.”
“The public should also be aware that the All Hazards Warning Siren System is in place and operational, and will activate in the event a tsunami warning has been issued for the Virgin Islands,” he said.
To help with making crucial decisions if a tsunami hits, VITEMA will put up signs in areas where tsunamis could strike as well as ones that indicate evacuation routes. According to a VITEMA press release, they will be installed in Christiansted, Frederiksted, and Charlotte Amalie.
Lett said there are 100 signs and that the installation is still in the contract process.
VITEMA is also in the process of purchasing an additional 11 outdoor warning sirens which will be divided between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
VITEMA’s press release indicated the territory is geographically located in one of the world’s most seismically active regions, experiencing more than 1,000 tremors annually.
In 1867, a major earthquake generated a local tsunami that reached the territory’s shores within 10 minutes. Thirty lives were lost. In the late 1860s most laborers worked at inland plantations. Today, however, the shorelines are filled with businesses, residential communities and schools and main port is lined with cruise ships.
VITEMA is also slated to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region II Tsunami Functional Exercise that is designed to validate catastrophic earthquake/tsunami plans for the region. This major exercise is scheduled for May and will also include Puerto Rico.
Last week, the Virgin Islands joined other localities in the Caribbean as a participant in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tsunami response exercise designed to evaluate local tsunami response plans, to increase tsunami preparedness and to improve coordination throughout the region. The exercise simulated a major earthquake and tsunami generated 57 miles north of Oranjestad, Aruba.
Tsunami Awareness Week runs through Saturday. Visit www.vitema.gov for more information.
