Tsunamis are rare, but they can be catastrophic, and the Virgin Islands must prepare for them just as it prepares for hurricanes each year.
Kudos, therefore, are due to the organisers and participants in the recent Carib Wave tsunami simulation.
The drill drew more than 4,000 people, who modeled what they would do in the case of a real tsunami: namely, stop other activity and move swiftly uphill in a calm and orderly manner.
Carib Wave ticked all the boxes of a good public emergency drill, and it demonstrated the diligent and often unseen hard work of the Department of Disaster Management, first responders, and other groups that prepare the VI for emergencies.
The drill showed a realistic, if horrifying, scenario: What could happen if an 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the nearby Puerto Rico Trench.
In such an event, VI residents might have only a few minutes of notice, according to DDM.
This means that knowing what to do is vital. In an emergency, seemingly small things can quickly become big things: recognising the sound of the early warning sirens, knowing the location of the nearest exit in a building, and being prepared to assist others who might have trouble moving uphill.
Tsunamis are a relatively rare natural hazard, but their occurrence can cause widespread destruction and loss of life.
For instance, on Jan. 15, 2022, the ongoing eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai resulted in a tsunami that struck the Pacific island nation of Tonga, killing seven and causing waves as high as 65 feet above sea level. Before that, a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 killed more than 200,000 people.
Other factors that make Carib Wave a particularly strong exercise include its long history in the VI — where it has been held regularly since 2009 — and the regional cooperation it entails.
Some 31 other countries and territories participated in this year’s exercise, giving disaster managers the opportunity to compare notes and share lessons learned.
We also note the contrast between the tsunami drill and a handful of exceedingly ill-advised active-shooter simulations organised in recent months by police and other agencies (not including the DDM, which was not involved).
Unlike the active-shooter simulations, the tsunami drill was well advertised to the public in advance — as all such drills should be.
Preparation for a potential emergency should never inadvertently generate very real panic as the shooter simulations did.
VI residents need no reminder of the destructive power of nature. The enduring impact of the 2017 hurricanes are testament to that. But it’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and fail to consider the worst-case scenario. That is, until it happens.
Carib Wave is a timely annual reminder to have a plan and to prepare for the worst.