Antigua and Barbuda is participating today in CARIBE WAVE 26, the region’s annual tsunami preparedness exercise involving countries across the Caribbean.

The drill, coordinated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission through the Caribbean Tsunami Warning System, is testing how authorities and communities respond to a simulated tsunami threat.

As part of the exercise, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is issuing mock alerts, allowing national agencies to practise receiving, analysing and communicating warnings in real time.

Locally, the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service is leading the technical response, while the National Office of Disaster Services is coordinating preparedness and emergency actions.

Officials say the exercise is designed to strengthen coordination, communication and decision-making, ensuring the public knows what to do in the event of a tsunami, a rare but potentially dangerous hazard in the region.