Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Premier & Governor led VI in regional earthquake & tsunami exercise

The Virgin Islands joined nearly 400,000 residents of the Caribbean and Latin America on March 11, 2021, to participate in Caribe Wave, the annual tsunami preparedness exercise.

Schools, businesses, families and Government agencies from around the Territory practiced earthquake and tsunami safety responses of drop, cover and hold and evacuating to higher ground.

Leading by example!


Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Acting Director Mr Jasen Penn said he was pleased that so many persons joined the exercise from the private sector and the public service.

“I am especially grateful that His Excellency the Governor John J. Rankin, and Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie acknowledged the importance of these types of exercises by participating alongside their staff,” he said in a press release from DDM on March 12, 2021.

He added, “I am pleased that other Government officials including the Deputy Governor, senior managers, heads of department, and even executives within the private sector all participated to set an example that I very much hope would be followed in case of an actual emergency.”

Alternate EOC location established in quick time


The director said the exercise also saw DDM officers standing up the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) at its designated alternate location in the Territory’s 911 Call Centre.

“One of our departmental objectives was to exercise the physical set up of the alternate EOC location as outlined in the National Disaster Management Plan. The staff moved with efficiency and was able to establish/stand up the EOC in just a few minutes, which allowed us to test communications with many of the participants who were evacuating at the time,” Mr. Penn said.

Being ready for 'rare threat of tsunami'


Training Manager Ms Carishma Hicks thanked all participants for doing their part to help the Territory be ready for the rare but serious threat of a tsunami.

“We know from previous events that the more persons understand about the risks of hazards like tsunami and earthquake impacts, the better prepared they will be to act quickly to save the lives of themselves and their family members,” Ms Hicks said, adding, “Practicing safe response techniques helps to identify any needed improvements to emergency plans and procedures.”

This year’s scenario focused on a major earthquake occurring off the coast of Jamaica, triggering a tsunami warning around the region including in the VI. In the event of a tsunami generation in close proximity to the VI, evacuating to high ground within a few minutes and establishing the safety of structures before standing up the NEOC can save lives.

All participants are encouraged to share their feedback on the exercise via a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Caribewave21GenFeedback.

Caribe Wave is coordinated together with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Caribbean regional emergency management stakeholders including Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and regional national disaster management offices. The purpose of this exercise each year is to advance tsunami preparedness efforts in the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×