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Session: Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat, Oh My! The Challenges and Successes of Using Social Media to Communicate Science to the Public [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/25/2019

Time: 06:00 PM

Room: Fifth Avenue

10 Years of Tsunami-Preparedness Exercises in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Region

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Region (PR/VI) is the area of seismic responsibility monitored by the Puerto Rico Seismic Networks (PRSN). This area includes Puerto Rico, USVI, BVI and the Eastern Dominican Republic which are located on the tectonic border of the Caribbean and North American plates. Major events in the region throughout history have generated tsunamis that make the population aware of the risks generated by earthquakes. A significant 7.3Mw earthquake in 1918 generated a tsunami that impacted PR/VI region. More recently, a major 6.4Mw earthquake struck the region and reignited public awareness that large events and tsunamis are possible. In order to educate the population and emergency managers, the PRSN has uninterruptedly coordinated annual tsunami response exercises in PR/VI since 2009 with the Lantex Exercise. Since 2013 under initiatives from the Caribe EWS-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO), the exercise was jointly carried out as the CaribeWave/Lantex. As of 2016 the tsunami response exercise is coordinated out as the CaribeWave exercise under the IOC UNESCO framework. Some of the exercise objectives are to test and evaluate the operations of the Caribe EWS, validate tsunami response preparedness and assist tsunami-preparedness efforts of Caribbean emergency management agencies. The PRSN performs communications exercise with all the primary emergency agencies in PR/VI to test the messaging and alert distribution systems in place. The exercise also provides opportunity for state and municipal agencies to test their warning systems. In addition, an intense educational campaign is carried out to promote public preparedness for the eventuality of a tsunami. This effort to reach the people involves the use of the existing mass media which has evolved to include platforms such as social media and automated messaging systems. Here we present an analysis of the exercise evolution over the past decade and the impact the exercise on the public and local stakeholders.

Presenting Author: Gisela Báez-Sánchez

Additional Authors