It’s 8,180 miles, two continents and an entire ocean from Sendai, Japan to Road Town, Tortola. Most days, Japan seems like a world away, but since the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and the massive tsunami it triggered on Friday, scenes of devastation there have been almost inescapable on television and the Internet.
The loss of life and property are a tragedy, but one that Virgin Islands officials hope will serve as powerful reminder to take steps to prepare for possible disasters closer to home.
“This event is the second major earthquake to have occurred within a one-month period,” Governor Boyd McCleary said in a Department of Disaster Management press release on Friday. “Residents of the VI are urged to pay close attention to the events unfolding to learn from the response actions being taken. We live in a region that is vulnerable to these types of hazards, and so our state of readiness must be at its highest at all times.” Mr. McCleary has overall responsibility for the territory’s disaster management programme.
The same undersea volcanic activity that formed the Pacific Rim countries produced the Caribbean island chain, so it stands to reason that the VI could be susceptible to a similar seismic event.
In an effort to make sure the territory is prepared, a “National Earthquake and Tsunami Full Scale Exercise” is scheduled for later this month.
See today’s edition for full coverage.