The National Emergency Management Organisation-NEMO will join the United Nations in observing World Tsunami Awareness day on Friday November 5th.
Deputy Director of NEMO Kenson Stoddard said a week of activities is held annually to commemorate the day however like last year, the activities were scaled down or held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the same will apply this year .
The focus of World Tsunami Awareness day 2021 is on the target of the “sendai seven campaign”, which aims to “substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the present framework by 2030.”
A tsunami is a series of enormous waves usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions occurring below or near the ocean and Stoddard used the opportunity to further explain why it is important to bring awareness on tsunami to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Stoddard said NEMO is implementing a national tsunami programme which seeks to ensure that all coastal communities in SVG are tsunami ready.
On December 22nd 2015, the UN General Assembly designated November 5th as World Tsunami Awareness day, by its resolution, calling on countries and international bodies to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative actions.