It is for this reason, disaster management officials have organized a meeting that is designed to create a draft document that should provide the template for how the island would prepare, monitor and react in the event of an earthquake.
According to Mr. Lester Blackett, who heads the island’s disaster management team, the purpose of the 20th December 20th meeting is to draft and update recommendations in light of the upsurge of earthquakes with the goal being to mitigate and manage risks and likely impacts of a major earthquake in the Caribbean region.
He said that at the start of the meeting, presentations will be made covering the seismic data captured in 2011, and on other issues likely to be addressed in discussions and deliberations.
Meanwhile, the Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry, in endorsing the meeting, said, “The Nevis Island Cabinet watched a presentation on the recent upsurge in earthquake activity by Director of Disaster Management, Mr. Lester Blackett and I believe the presentation is a necessary tool to see what is happening in the region and how we can best protect ourselves in case an earthquake strikes our island.”
Parry is encouraging Directors of Government departments to attend the meeting, which he described as important, on the recent upsurge in earthquake activity in the Leeward Islands. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, 20th December, 2011 at the Llewellyn Newton Disaster Management facility at Long Point from 9am.