A number of simulation exercises and drills will be conducted across Barbados on Thursday, March 21, as Government agencies, private sector organisations and some schools take part in the annual Caribe Wave Exercise 2024. These exercises will get underway at 10:30 a.m. at all locations.
Four agencies from the Holetown Public Centre – the Holetown Library, Holetown Post Office, the Barbados Revenue Authority and the Barbados Licensing Authority, with a total of 24 participants, will be participating in the activity.
They will make their way along the evacuation routes, using the recently installed signage to guide them out of the tsunami hazard zone, as the Porters, St. James to Batts Rock Bay, St. Michael areas seek their Tsunami Ready Recognition status for the first time.
Meanwhile, students of the St. Alban’s Primary School, in Weston, St. James, with a role of 392 students; and 186 from the Roland Edwards Primary School, in Little Battaleys, Speightstown, St. Peter, will make their way along the tsunami evacuation routes in their respective areas.
This is being done as the Shermans, St. Lucy to Mullins, St. Peter areas strive to renew their Tsunami Ready Recognition status.
In addition, the National Emergency Operations Centre at the Department of Emergency Management and the Zone Two Supplementary Emergency Operations Centre at Queen’s College, will be activated during this exercise.
There will also be a national communications exercise which will see the Barbados Meteorological Services issuing dummy alert messages from across various channels and platforms.
These tests will be conducted using landlines, satellite and cellular phones, electronic mail, WhatsApp, social media and radio interrupts using the Common Alerting Protocols (CAP) application on cellular phones, email alerts and radio interrupts across the 90.1 FM, CITA, 98.1 The One FM, SLAM 101.1 FM, and Y 103.3 FM radio stations between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
This is designed to test all aspects of emergency communications as it relates to the national tsunami dissemination.
The Deacons Primary School will also conduct an orientation exercise in the form of a seminar to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive exercise programme.
This event is designed to bring together individuals and officials and will take the form of two half-hour multimedia presentations highlighting the tsunami hazard preparedness and tenets of evacuation. The presentation begins at 10:00 a.m. at the school.
Caribe Wave 2024 forms part of the activities to mark Coastal Hazards and Earthquake Smart Month which runs from March 1 to 31, under the theme Resilient Shores, Secure Futures.