Bluefields

On September 12, 2019, Bluefields, Nicaragua, 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, the communities 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. The recognition process was implemented by the Unidad Municipal de Gestión Integral de Riesgo of Bluefields under the guidance of the Instituto Nicaraguense de Estudios Territoriales (INETER) and the Sistema Nacional para la Prevención, Mitigación y Atención de Desastres (SINAPRED). Outputs included the creation of inundation and evacuation maps for Bluefields, as well as the provision of communication equipment, and signage for evacuation routes, assembly points and tsunami hazard zones. The Unidad Municipal de Gestión Integral de Riesgo and other local authorities also undertook extensive public education, conducted drills, and formulated an emergency operations plan (EOP). The Tsunami Ready effort was part of the project, “Strengthening Capacities of Early Warning and Response for Tsunamis and Other Coastal Hazards in Central America”. 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 Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres en América Central y República Dominicana (CEPREDENAC), as an implementation partner. 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.

Bluefield Documents