Approximately 5,000 residents across Antigua and Barbuda participated in Thursday's Caribe Wave tsunami preparedness exercise, giving national authorities a clearer picture of the country's readiness in the event of a real disaster. According to Antigua News Room, the drill was coordinated by the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) and simulated a magnitude 7.6 earthquake near the Cayman Islands, testing the public's ability to evacuate to designated safe zones.
Public Relations Officer Mitzi Francis described the overall response as encouraging, noting that participation levels reflected growing public awareness of disaster risks.
The annual exercise forms part of a broader regional initiative. It also assessed the effectiveness of emergency alert systems, including the Common Alerting Protocol, which delivers warnings through mobile apps, radio broadcasts and sirens.
Participants were generally able to reach safe zones in a timely manner. However, officials acknowledged that not all residents approached the exercise with equal seriousness. Among the issues identified were reports of sirens sounding at incorrect times, which authorities attributed to possible miscommunication.
Despite these shortcomings, NODS reported that coordination among emergency agencies, radio stations and response teams functioned well overall, providing a solid foundation for future improvements.
Officials stressed that sustained public participation and regular training will be critical to strengthening national preparedness — particularly in a region where tsunami threats, while infrequent, have been recorded historically.
