The Diego Martin Borough Corporation Disaster Management Unit joined the global community in commemorating World Tsunami Awareness Day on Wednesday.
The event at the West Bees Car Park in Diego Martin sought to inform and prepare communities around the country, especially those in vulnerable coastal areas.
Councillor for Chaguaramas, Kevon Williams, said the event brought together various branches of first responders to aid in this preparation.
“We have different stakeholders and while we are all here there’s no one host but one team of stakeholders representing Fire Service, Defence Force, React TT, Wellness, Disaster Management Unit of the Diego Martin Borough, and the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service and Red Cross TT.”
Mr. Williams emphasised the importance of communities being ‘tsunami certified’ in the event of an emergency.
“Carenage remains the only community in Trinidad and Tobago that is tsunami certified and ready. So as the Councillor for that district, I want to make a personal appeal for persons to learn the different basic and intermediate references as it relates to behavioural practices in the event of a disaster.”
Following Wednesday’s event, he challenged more communities to become ‘tsunami certified’ going forward.
“So we’re hoping that while we always extend that hand of safety and security awareness, we would need the other hand of the community to come forward and say, ‘I want my community certified. I want a culture of safety and security in my particular community.’ And through that now, will bring different actions in terms of infrastructure upgrades, regulatory framework, moving forward with policy as it relates to any particular community.”
Mr. Williams said it’s not too late to become tsunami-prepared, adding that this knowledge will not just help in the event of a tsunami but even in man-made disasters.