Tsunami warning!

No Jamaican alive has ever experienced a local tsunami. The last tsunami recorded in Jamaica was 116 years ago when the 1907 earthquake struck Kingston, killing more than 1,000 people.

Though rare, the threat a tsunami poses to a country with so many coastal towns and cities is undeniable. And last week’s 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Jamaica has prompted calls from stakeholders for urgent action to implement adequate tsunami protocols and warning systems, which are badly lacking.

A tsunami is a series of waves, triggered by any event that disrupts the seabed such as a volcanic eruption or an earthquake that causes a landslide under the sea. The result can be waves from five to 100 feet, inundating nearby and low-lying towns.

Simon Mitchell, Professor of Sedimentary Geology at the Department of Geography and Geology at the University of the West Indies, Mona, told The Sunday Gleaner that it would take a magnitude 7 earthquake to activate a tsunami that would “cause something significant” in Jamaica.

In the last two months, the country has experienced magnitude 4.9 and 5.6 earthquakes. In April, a 4.9 magnitude earthquake was also recorded.

Although he is still analysing the data on the recent earthquakes, Mitchell has not ruled out the possibility of another “big one” occurring.

“I can’t say there won’t be a big one. What I’ve seen this year is that we’ve had three in a row and we are still looking at that data that we are collecting because we’re still getting aftershocks, even though you’re not feeling them. There have been more than 50,” he said last week.

“We don’t know whether this basically is a stress release so that we’ve reached the end of this little scenario or whether the stress is being passed on to another fault line and that could rupture. We don’t know.”

Jamaica sits atop the Caribbean Plate and the Gonâve Microplate, the largest of four microplates that are between the North American and Caribbean Plates, and has numerous fault lines across the country.

If an earthquake occurs in Jamaica that causes an underwater landslide, Mitchell said a tsunami could occur shortly thereafter – “at the most, 10 minutes, depending on where you are, so you wouldn’t have much time to react”.

Low-lying towns such as Kingston, Savanna-la-Mar, Ocho Rios, as well towns built on reclaimed lands from the sea, such as Portmore and areas in Trelawny, the former research director of the Earthquake Unit theorises, could be under water quickly.

Cognisant of the potential danger, Mitchell is calling for ample tsunami drills and sensitisation campaigns, especially for coastal areas, which should include signage in towns that will advise people on what to do and where to go in the event of a tsunami.

“We should be thinking about a tsunami alert siren in several places and train people to know what it means when it goes off. It’s no good sitting there thinking, ‘well, that’s a very strange sound, what is happening?’ You’ve got to react to it immediately to save your life,” said the professor of sedimentary geology, adding that tsunami drills should also be practised in hotels that “sit right on the coastline”.

NO EVACUATION PLANS FOR MOST COASTAL COMMUNITIES

With the possibility of an earthquake triggering a tsunami, the preparedness of the country’s emergency response mechanism is integral to saving lives. This includes an evacuation plan, particularly for coastal areas.

But according to Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the agency responsible for coordinating the disaster response, there are no evacuation plans for most coastal communities on the island.

He noted, however, that protocols are in place to evacuate the towns of Portmore and Port Royal, with support provided by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company and the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

“But in terms of a plan to say, evacuation for downtown Kingston, Harbour View, that side, for a tsunami, no,” Thompson told The Sunday Gleaner.

He pointed out, however, that Jamaica has a tsunami protocol that outlines how notifications are given and information on how to evacuate.

This, he said, is shared through continuous sensitisation campaigns in at-risk communities and in schools, which is done in collaboration with the local municipalities. It involves tsunami drills, which educate them on how to essentially move to higher ground inland as quickly as possible.

“The time to evacuate after a tsunami warning is very short, so the main advice is for persons to move to higher ground as quickly as possible if you are close to the ocean. As quickly as possible, try to move a far distance from the ocean. If you are in a properly constructed building, try to move to the uppermost floor of the building,” Thompson said.

“You have to always be on the alert for tsunamis. Look for signs like a sudden rise in the drainage and in areas close to the ocean, and always ensure that you listen to emergency information and alerts.”

He said more sensitisation campaigns are also held around November 5, which is observed globally as Tsunami Awareness Day, noting that improvement to ODPEM’s emergency communication is “well advanced”.

“We’re at the point now of implementation. Extensive implementation, putting in radios in vehicles, putting in repeater stations, putting in base stations in various entities and over time, handing over of mobile radios,” he said.

Admitting that a tsunami warning system for Jamaica is lacking, Thompson said ODPEM has been working to improve its disaster response communication, and has been working to put tsunami alert sirens in coastal towns across the island.

He said Jamaica is linked to the Pacific tsunami warning centre, which was set up following the Pacific-wide tsunamis in 1946 and 1960. This system generates tsunami alerts whenever there is an earthquake offshore or there is an earthquake on land that has the potential to generate a tsunami.

OLD HARBOUR ONLY TOWN WITH TSUNAMI ALERT SIREN

Old Harbour in St Catherine is currently the only town in Jamaica with a tsunami alert siren and was certified tsunami ready in 2021 under the Pilot Community Performance Based Tsunami Recognition Programme that was implemented by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

In 2018, the siren was triggered after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras and a tsunami warning was issued for Jamaica.

Disaster risk coordinator for St Catherine, Yasheka Jathan-Thompson, told The Sunday Gleaner that the tsunami siren, which is located in Old Harbour Bay, is operational and undergoes monthly testing.

Additionally, she said the area has a dedicated community emergency response team that has received training in tsunami preparedness and response. A team leader has also been appointed for each district within the community, responsible for guiding the evacuation procedure.

The ODPEM acting director general said there are plans to put another tsunami alert siren in Port Maria, St Mary, but he was unable to provide a timeline.

“We have over 700 listed communities in Jamaica and a lot of those are coastal communities, so you must appreciate that that will take some time in terms of ensuring that all our communities are tsunami certified,” Thompson said.

IDENTIFY EVACUATION ROUTES

Lamenting that consideration was not given to the impact of natural disasters such as tsunamis in the design of towns across Jamaica, Dr Carol Archer, professor of urban planning and public policy at The University of Technology, Jamaica, said identifying specific evacuation routes in the event and aftermath of a natural disaster is integral to any plan.

“That means, for example, one road specific for servicing hospitals. So given the location of the University Hospital and KPH, our two largest health institutions, for example, Old Hope Road can be identified as an evacuation route where persons can get to and from as quickly as possible in an emergency,” she said.

The professor also shared that clear demarcation of potential “tent cities” should be identified that can temporarily house large numbers of people where triage and food distribution can take place. There is also the need, she said, to identify locations for properly maintained out-of-risk shelter facilities.

Archer stressed the need for ongoing research and data collection to inform the country’s disaster response protocols, which will guide emergency responders such as the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force, ODPEM, the National Works Agency and the National Water Commission.

“There are some things that need to be taken off the list and newer ones added. For instance, you can’t have a shelter in a community in an area that is prone to land slippage. How are you going to get to it if there is a landslide? That’s not the best place to locate a shelter,” she said.

“Sometimes you plan for the earthquake, which is the earth shaking, but you don’t plan for tsunami, which is water coming in, or you don’t plan for the land slippage from an earthquake. We have to plan for these things,” Archer insisted.

COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL DISASTER PLAN

Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie, who heads the police’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, told The Sunday Gleaner that he was aware of a “comprehensive” national disaster plan, which included steps to take in the event of a tsunami.

“The police force is one entity which is prepared for that,” he declared.

He said his unit, which has overarching responsibility for the roads and highways, is well-resourced and would prove essential in any evacuation effort.

“Depending on what the information is – in terms of timing, location, impact – this would drive our preparation in terms of supporting the movement of people, supporting the cordoning off of different areas that would be designated as disaster-prone areas, and of course, we would be involved in the detouring and possibly the transportation of people as well,” McKenzie said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com

IN THE EVENT OF A TSUNAMI…

Natural tsunami signs include an earthquake, a loud roar from the ocean, or unusual ocean behaviour, such as a sudden rise or wall of water or a sudden retreat of the water, showing the ocean floor.

Tsunamis are a rare occurrence in Jamaica, but in the event of a major earthquake:

• Listen out for any tsunami warnings, especially if you are in a coastal area.

• Follow evacuation directions of emergency responders.

• Move inland to higher ground immediately and stay there.

• If you are in a sturdy building, head to the top floor.

• Stay away from the beach.

• Noticeable recession in water away from the shoreline is nature’s tsunami warning and should be heeded. In such cases, move immediately away from the shoreline.

• Take steps to save yourself and family first; not your possessions.