82.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal governmentVITEMA to Host Town Halls on Earthquake Preparedness

VITEMA to Host Town Halls on Earthquake Preparedness

U.S. Geological Survey image of the location of the Jan. 6 and 7 earthquakes near Puerto Rico.

Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) Director Daryl D. Jaschen will host earthquake preparedness town hall meetings on St. Croix this week. Similar town halls will be held in the St. Thomas-St. John District; dates, times and locations will be announced once coordination has been finalized.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), since the beginning of the year, 24 earthquakes with magnitude 4.5 and above have impacted Puerto Rico, including five earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher. The earthquakes have placed the U.S. Virgin Islands on alert and resulted in increased anxiety across the territory.

“When it comes to emergency preparedness, together works,” said the VITEMA director. “The town hall meetings will provide opportunities for the team at VITEMA to continue to do our part in building the emergency management capacity of our community, to prepare for and respond to earthquakes.”

VITEMA staff will be on hand to answer questions and share information on what people can do to prepare their homes, businesses and communities before, during and after an earthquake. Staff will also provide technical assistance with Alert VI registration and account maintenance.

The community is invited to attend a town hall at any of the following locations:

Frederiksted: 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Mid-island: 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 27, at St. Croix Educational Complex Auditorium

Christiansted: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28, at D.C. Canegata Recreational Complex and Sports Center

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.