NEMO hosts two day Tsunami training workshop

Eighty seven teachers on mainland St. Vincent are participating in an earthquake and tsunami training workshop which ends today, Wednesday January, 17,2024. This training workshop is being conducted by the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) in collaboration with the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre and the Ministry of Education.

Professor Richard Robertson at the opening on Tuesday (Photo Credit: API)

The workshop forms part of the National Emergency Management Organisation’s Geological Hazard Public Education and Awareness Programme which will run from January to April, 2024 with a focus on Earthquakes from January to February.

The main objective of the workshop is to provide training for teachers in the area of tsunami and earthquake science, preparedness, and the necessary resources needed for them to present this information to their students. This includes power point presentations for different age groups at the primary and secondary level, along with in-class and homework activities and other audio-visual resources.

The scientific information is being presented by Professor of Geology, University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, Richard Robertson.

The earthquake and tsunami training workshop is taking place at the University of the West Indies Open Campus, Richmond Hill.

The region has been experiencing an increase in earthquakes and a period of heightened seismic activity.

Director of NEMO, Michelle Forbes (Photo Credit: API)

This is cause for concern for the National Emergency Management Organisation due to the fact that earthquake is a sudden onset hazard which can occur at any time and without any warning sign.

As a result, NEMO took the decision to do an in-depth focus on the earthquake hazard during the months of January to February this year to raise awareness on earthquakes, the safety measures that can be put in place before an earthquake and what can be done to protect life during and after an earthquake.

Apart from the teacher training workshop on mainland St. Vincent, there will also be a teacher training workshop on each of the Grenadine Islands, along with a number of engagements at the community level and simulation exercises (NEMO).