BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC:
The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) said yesterday that it was working towards establishing an early tsunami warning system for the Caribbean in light of the tragic events that led to the deaths of more than 50,000 people from Thailand to Somalia over the weekend.
CDERA said it is holding discussions with a number of partners, including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, the University of Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the University of the United States Virgin Islands and the Seismic Research Unit at the University of the West Indies, regarding the establishment of a tsunami early warning system for the Caribbean.
SYSTEM IN PUERTO RICO
The focus of the Intra-Americas Sea Tsunami Warning System (IASTWS) was initially on Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands but the system is now being widened to include the rest of the Caribbean, it said in a statement.
"There is already a basic framework that can be used for an early warning system in the Caribbean which comprise equipment such as tidal gauges established by the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change (CPACC) and an early warning system set up for the Kick 'em Jenny underwater volcano," the statement said.
Disaster officials say the probability of one occurring in the Caribbean is low, although "there are two known potential sources that can generate tsunamis in the Caribbean".
