The U.S. Virgin Islands’ participation in the CARIBE WAVE 2019 Tsunami Warning Exercise, was successful, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency announced Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exercise consisted of a live test of the territory\u2019s Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) capabilities.\u00a0 The live test of the EAS and WEA confirmed that VITEMA will be able to deliver mass emergency notifications to U.S. Virgin Islands residents via radio, television, mobile devices, landline, email and social media outlets, according to the release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to TsunamiZone.org, more than 2,000 U.S. Virgin Islanders registered their participation in the CARIBE WAVE tsunami exercise. No incidents or injuries related to the exercise were reported to the 911 Emergency Call Centers territory-wide.\u00a0The CARIBE\u00a0 WAVE Tsunami Warning Exercise provided an opportunity for U.S. Virgin Islanders to build resilience by exercising emergency communications, reviewing tsunami response procedures and promoting tsunami preparedness throughout the territory, the release said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) server, WEA and EAS tests were successful. All major cellular carriers in the territory received and broadcasted the WEA. Additionally, the EAS delivery report showed a status code \u201cEAS 500\u201d which means the alert to EAS was a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTsunami preparedness in the territory must continue to be an ongoing process,\u201d said Acting VITEMA Director Denise Lewis. \u201cVITEMA will continue to work towards accomplishing its mission, which is to\u00a0save lives and protect the property of the territory\u2019s\u2019 population from threats and risks from natural and man-made hazards. Through planning, coordinating, training and exercising, we will ensure our territory remains prepared and resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n