April 10, 2008 — The territory needs a warning system and signs directing people along evacuation routes in case of an earthquake and tsunami, emergency first responders and representatives of agencies that work closely with them said Thursday at a workshop.
"We already have protocol in play, but we are here to beef up protocol and plans," said Jacqueline Heyliger, deputy director of the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), which hosted the workshop along with Homeland Security. "We are building on a developed working plan."
Tsunamis are not common in the Virgin Islands, but they do happen. St. Croix was hit by a tsunami in 1867. Old photographs illustrate its effect, showing a U.S. Navy vessel carried several hundred yards up on the shore in Frederiksted.
The workshop at Gertrude's Restaurant was attended by close to 40 people from numerous departments, including the V.I. Fire Service, V.I. Police Department, Juan F. Luis Hospital, St. Croix Emergency Medical Services, V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources and Hovensa.
Laura Hokenstad of New York's Olson Group conducted the workshop. The group plans to assist in identifying problem areas, working with the V.I. government on homeland-security issues. The group will design, conduct and evaluate discussion and operation-based exercises consistent with the territory's strategic plan, according to its website.
The exercise identified potential problems concerning evacuation, after-hours notification and initial evacuation if a tsunami hit. The scenario simulated an earthquake that occurs in the Caribbean at 2 a.m. Landlines are down on various parts of the island, including the V.I. Police Department and Juan F. Luis Hospital. At 2:05 a.m., the National Weather Service Alaska Tsunami Center issues a warning predicting a high probability that a tsunami will hit within 40 to 60 minutes on the southern coast of St. Croix.
"The whole thing is communication and how we do that," said Conrad Knowles, state deputy VITEMA trainer.
Heyliger said she gets the warning call from the National Weather Service on her cell phone. The governor is in the loop, she said.
Participants discussed their department's actions and interactions with other departments. Richard Fricke, manager of emergency services at Hovensa, said officials there are all on Blackberries and get notifications from the governor's office.
The discussion continued to getting the word out to police and fire department staff to spread the warning. Then it would be a matter of advising people to move to high ground.
"Getting people to listen to warnings is the thing that needs to be done," said Chuck Hendly of OSHA. The whole island will not be hit, but officials have to get word to those living close to the shore, he said.
There are many community housing apartments along the shore, a Department of Human Services representative noted. Officials generally agreed there should be a system of sirens, and the public should know exactly what the signal is.
A consensus was reached on public education, with suggestions that efforts begin with education in schools and public service announcements. Emergency evacuation signs should be put in place now, officials agreed.
"I'm hoping when we leave here we have ideas and directions to start formulating," Heyliger said.
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