Public awareness will be key in teaching persons how to respond to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.
Giving the assurance that her organization would continue to place a heavy focused on educating the masses on what to do before, during and after such natural disasters, Head of the Department for Emergency Management Kerry Hinds said personal responsibility would also be critical.
“We have to continue our public awareness programs and as much as persons may want to push it out of our minds, it is a reality in the Caribbean that we are in a seismic reactive area. We will go to various sectors of community and spread the message because at the end of the day you have to be prepared. It is not a choice at this point. It is better to be prepared,” she said.
It is this awareness program that led to the DEM hosting a movie night and a coastal walk from Bath, St. John to Martins Bay.
The walk, which was held in conjunction with the Coastal Zone Management Unit attracted both adults and children.
“Persons who went on the walk actually went on the evacuation route in case of a tsunami,” she said, stating that it helped to reinforce what persons should do in the chance that they heard roaring from the sea or saw the water recede.
She also highlighted that during this last week, persons from University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre in Trinidad have been in Barbados giving presentations on what actions should be taken during such events.
“We have been going into schools to share an inform the children, in terms of tsunami and earthquake preparedness because it starts with them,” Hinds added.