Earthquake Simulation Exercise for St. Ann

Plans are in high gear for the staging of a major earthquake simulation exercise in St. Ann on Wednesday (Jan. 31), as part of islandwide activities by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to encourage greater preparedness for earthquakes.
St. Ann Parish Disaster Coordinator, Alvin Clarke, told JIS News that earthquake drills would be carried out all across the parish, but the major simulation exercise would be held on Brown’s Town Community College’s Wesley Campus in St. Ann’s Bay.
“The purpose of the exercise is to allow the agencies and the general public to heighten their awareness of earthquake management and also to improve co-ordination and co-operation between agencies in the whole effectiveness of triaging, rescue and incident management,” he said.
Mr. Clarke said that agencies and organizations within the St. Ann Parish Disaster Committee were playing their part in the planning of the exercise, noting that, the idea is to “have agencies and voluntary organizations as well as members of the St. Ann’s Bay community come together to respond to this major incident”.
Explaining the day’s activities, he said after the simulation exercise on the Wesley Campus, “we will proceed from there through to Jonas Rhyner where we will do our triaging and further to the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital, where we will actually have our professional care.”
Mr. Clarke is appealing to citizens to participate in the event, noting that it would benefit the entire parish.