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Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. reminds Virgin Islanders that on Wednesday the territory will join several Caribbean communities in participating in a tsunami warning drill intended to evaluate local response plans, test recently upgraded emergency infrastructure, and increase preparedness.
The Virgin Islands drill will be part of a full-scale national tsunami exercise involving the National Weather Service, and the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers. “The recent tragedy in Japan should serve as another warning about the very real dangers faced by coastal communities like ours, and make very clear the significance of this exercise,” de Jongh said.
Since taking office, de Jongh has overseen a comprehensive and strategic overhaul of the territory’s capabilities, making preparedness and response a priority. Among the most significant changes was the reorganization of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency, which was elevated to a cabinet level office. “We have seen how important it is to be prepared, both in the infrastructure we have in place, and the knowledge and readiness of our people. Through the efforts of VITEMA, the Virgin Islands is more prepared than ever before to withstand a serious natural disaster,” the governor said.
At 9:02 am on Wednesday morning, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, which currently monitors our region, will issue a tsunami warning triggering the territory's Emergency Alert System. The test is expected to provide valuable insight into several measures put in place in recent years to improve the territory’s readiness.
Last year, VITEMA oversaw a cabinet-level exercise conducted by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate Institute. Through a series of role-playing exercises, government officials identified shortfalls and corrective actions for a mass alert system. Since then, much work has been done implementing improvements.
The State of New York had recently developed their own emergency warning system that allowed quick communication during several kinds of disasters and emergencies, and offered it to the territory to be adapted for our needs.
The technology shared by New York became V.I. Alert – a system that allows Virgin Islands residents to register for a service delivering vital information almost immediately to communication devices. In the next few months, mobile device applications will be rolled out to work with the system.
VITEMA has conducted well-attended workshops on each island, bringing in tsunami experts to educate the public on the threat, and what individuals can do to protect themselves and their families.
Through funding secured from multiple sources, including the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, V.I. Public Finance Authority, and the 28th Legislature—VITEMA has also launched a project to implement a siren system in Virgin Islands.
An order has been placed to construct and install 10 sirens—four on St. Thomas, four on St. Croix, two on St. John—in the most populated risk areas on each island. Those sirens can produce a blaring tone or voice commands. Through a partnership with the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, they will be installed on utility poles to maximize their effectiveness.
As a comprehensive system, the warning sirens are connected to V.I. Alert, which obtains almost instantaneous information from the U.S. Geological Survey and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. Those centers can trigger the alert system and warning sirens, with no human intervention.
VITEMA has also used funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, to purchase signs that identify evacuation routes and to produce public service announcements to educate residents.
For years, the territory had an outdated Emergency Operations Plan. Last year, de Jongh and all agency heads signed off on a new plan prepared by VITEMA and emergency response experts. The government has also contracted a firm, led by a renowned expert in the field, to prepare and test a tsunami plan. “Preparedness must come in the form of employing a combination of technologies along with educating the public, planning, and conducting exercises,” de Jongh said.
The governor has also been advocating for a national tsunami warning center in the Caribbean and has been communicating with President Barack Obama about making such a facility a reality since last year. “I have been saying for some time now, well before last week’s tragedy in Japan, that the current tsunami warning system leaves this territory and its Caribbean neighbors in a precarious state of readiness,” de Jongh said.
“We know in the event of a major tsunami, every minute of extra warning time will save lives and help avert disaster. For that reason, we need a more direct connection to the facility that is monitoring the ocean and issuing the alert,” the governor added.
On July 13, 2010, de Jongh wrote a letter to President Obama expressing support for Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno’s plan to establish a U.S. National Weather Service Caribbean Tsunami Warning Center in Puerto Rico.
In that letter, de Jongh noted that the Caribbean region is beset with faults and regularly experiences seismic activity. In 1867, a tsunami reached the Virgin Islands within 10 minutes of a large Caribbean earthquake, killing 30 people on our islands. Today, unlike back then, the shorelines are filled with businesses, hotels, residential communities and schools; and the territory’s ports are lined with cruise ships. A tsunami like the one seen 144 years ago would invariably be more destructive.
Citing the 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia and its neighbors, and last year’s destructive earthquake in Haiti, Governor de Jongh has repeatedly said it is time to reappraise our territory’s tsunami preparedness and the most appropriate alert systems required to protect the region’s people.
As part of Wednesday's drill, the tsunami warning test message will air for two minutes on television, most radio stations, and across NOAA weather radios.
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