Union Island

On June 11, 2020, Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, received recognition as Tsunami Ready under the Pilot Community Performance Based Tsunami Recognition Programme being implemented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO/IOC) Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazard Warning Systems for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS). As part of the regional efforts to develop an end-to-end tsunami early warning system, Union Island fulfilled the Programme’s guidelines; thus empowering its vulnerable coastal communities to take effective action in the event of a potential tsunami and save lives. Outputs included the creation of inundation and evacuation maps for Union Island, as well as the provision of communication equipment, and signage for evacuation routes, assembly points and tsunami hazard zones. The National Emergency Management Organization and Union Island District Disaster Committee also undertook extensive public education, conducted drills, and formulated an emergency operations plan (EOP). Schools, businesses and the public also actively participated in a number of activities during the recognition process. The Tsunami Ready effort was part of the project, “Strengthening Capacities of Early Warning and Response for Tsunamis and Other Coastal Hazards in the Caribbean”. It was sponsored by the European Commission Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO); through its Department's Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO). The project was implemented by UNESCO/IOC and its Caribbean Tsunami Information Centre (CTIC), as well as the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA), as an implementation partner and the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (SRC). The Tsunami Ready Programme incorporates risk knowledge assessment, preparedness actions and response planning with recognition being granted upon the satisfactory completion of a verification process confirming fulfilment of the guidelines.

Union Island Documents