In a landmark achievement for the Virgin Islands emergency management system, Governor de Jongh and VITEMA Director Elton Lewis, during a brief ceremony this week, signed the territory’s first Tsunami Incident Annex which establishes guidelines for a widely-coordinated response to tsunami. The annex serves as addendum to the Territorial Emergency Operations Plan.

Governor John P. de Jongh Jr. and VITEMA Director Elton Lewis sign the Virgin Islands’ first Tsunami Incident Annex, a component of the Territorial Emergency Operations Plan on January 31, 2012. Photographed with Gov. de Jongh and Lewis are (right to left) Bill Proenza, Southern Region Director of the National Weather Service (NWS), Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade, Manager of NWS’ Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program at Puerto Rico and Roy Watlington, retired University of the Virgin Islands professor and oceanographer.

“The Tsunami Incident Annex outlines the activities of the government response agencies within the emergency management system in the event a tsunami threatens or impacts the territory. It embraces the capabilities and resources in the broader emergency management community that includes individuals, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and the federal government,” the governor said. “The devastation a tsunami can cause, makes planning for it one of the highest priorities today in emergency management. The impact is often sudden and results in numerous casualties and evacuees. It can strain and overwhelm our resources and capabilities and require us to seek life support from outside the territory. Time is often of the essence. Today, we can say, the Virgin Islands has a plan for response and recovery from the widespread catastrophic impact of a tsunami.”

Listen to the Governor's comments at the annex signing .mp3 (2MB)

The objective of the Tsunami Incident Annex is to coordinate emergency response efforts to save lives, reduce injuries, and preserve property. Although the Tsunami Incident Annex addresses emergency issues before and after an emergency, its primary goal is to assemble, mobilize and coordinate a team of responders and coordinators to manage a tsunami incident.

The 94-page document is divided into five sections including: 1. Introduction, which gives the history of tsunami in the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean area; 2. Operations, which prescribes the sequence of operational activities to protect life, property and livelihoods; 3. Organization – Roles and Responsibilities, which details of the function of support and primary response agencies; 4. Plan Maintenance and Testing, Training and Exercise, a brief directive for management of the plan; and 5. Authorities and References used to establish and develop the plan. Appendices within the Annex illustrate tsunami inundation maps, potential tsunami evacuation sites, a list of populated places about an 80-feet elevation and provide recommendations for public education. 

“VITEMA is very excited to have this plan in place,” Director Lewis said. “As far as strategic planning, this is a major milestone for us. We intend to continuously exercise and update it as necessary. It is living document that changes as our community grows and expands and as our capabilities are enhanced. All of our efforts — the completion of the Tsunami Incident Annex, to the installation of a siren warning system in 2011 and plans for installation of tsunami signs in the near future — brings us closer achieving TsunamiReady status.”

Listen to the Director Lewis' comments at the annex signing .mp3 (729KB)

TsunamiReady is a status bestowed by NOAA-National Weather Service to communities who have met the certain requirements including developing a tsunami response plan, establishing a 24-hour warning center and developing a public education campaign.

National Weather Service (NWS) Southern Region Director Bill Proenza and Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade, Director of NWS’ Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program and Roy Watlington, oceanographer and retired University of the Virgin Islands professor were also present for the signing of the Tsunami Incident Annex. In addition to witnessing the signing of the Annex, the NWS officials provided the governor with a comprehensive briefing on the territory’s risks as it relates to the impact of tsunami and other major hazards and on NWS’ progress toward establishing a Caribbean Tsunami Warning Center at Puerto Rico to enhance federal-local partnership in tsunami preparedness. 

Listen to the Director Proenza's comments at the annex signing .mp3 (992KB)

In February 2010, Governor de Jongh wrote to President Obama in support of the NWS initiative to establish a Caribbean Tsunami Warning Center at Puerto Rico. This initiative is ongoing within NWS and is being spearheaded by Ms. Von Hillebrandt-Andrade.

The tsunami response plan is result of Governor de Jongh’s overhaul of the territory’s emergency management system, which he initiated in 2008. With the transformation, VITEMA shifted from solely hurricane and storm readiness to the broader approach of all-hazards preparedness. As recent tsunamis tragically impacted countries across the globe, including Japan and Chile, VITEMA looked comprehensively at closing the gaps on guidance for this type of no-notice event. In December of 2010, VITEMA hired Witt Associates, a Washington DC-based public safety and crisis management consulting firm, to help establish a tsunami response plan.

In August of 2011, Lewis approved the final draft of the Tsunami Incident Annex. No such plan existed prior to this and its completion is a significant milestone in VITEMA’s planning efforts. The project was funded by a $100,000 grant from Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority.