The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), in collaboration with UNESCO/IOC-CTIC and the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, will be conducting a Community Tsunami Drill in the Carenage district. The drill will take place on Wednesday 5th February 2020 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, between School Street and Abbe Poujade Street.
In preparation for the event, residents and other stakeholders who are interested in participating in the exercise, are invited to a community meeting on Tuesday 04th February 2020 at the Carenage Regional Complex, from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. At this meeting, the evacuation drill procedures will be explained and residents would be given roles and responsibilities.
The community tsunami preparedness drill aims to provide residents with general information about tsunamis while preparing them in the event the Carenage community has to respond to such a hazard. In this regard, the community’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), early warning systems and evacuation via pre-established routes will be tested. The drill is also geared towards creating opportunities for national response agencies to practise, assess and improve emergency response times and on-the-ground operations.
This community preparedness drill forms part of a multi-faceted, national tsunami planning project that aims to strengthen capacities of early warning and response to tsunamis and other coastal hazards in the Caribbean. Along with the ODPM, the other principal organisations involved in the project include the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and its Caribbean Tsunami Information Centre (UNESCO/IOC-CTIC), the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, the T&T Defence Force, T&T Police Service and T&T Fire Service.
The ODPM encourages all available Carenage residents to participate in the community tsunami drill. Persons can register on the ODPM’s website at http://www.odpm.gov.tt/node/1213. For further information, please visit the ODPM’s website.
THE ODPM EMPHASISES THAT THE PLANNED DRILL IS ONLY INTENDED FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CARENAGE COMMUNITY. IT THEREFORE WOULD NOT INCLUDE VISITORS TO THE AREA, MOTORISTS OR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. TO MINIMISE DISRUPTIONS ON THE DAY, THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO POLICE SERVICE WILL BE MANAGING TRAFFIC.