The Dominican Republic government, with UN support, put into effect Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to save lives and prevent property loss in case of tsunamis.

During a ceremony held on Monday October 27 at the United Nations House, representatives of the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), the Seismological Institute University (ISU-UASD) and the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET) committed to ensuring the implementation of the Manual that defines the roles of each entity in the event of tsunamis.

This activity is supported by UNESCO / IOC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the project "Communities resilient to earthquakes and tsunamis in Puerto Plata" which is funded by the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection of the European Commission and the Spanish NGO Anesvad.

The Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, Luciana Mermet, announced that on Thursday October 30 an evacuation drill in cooperation with the local team "Tsunami Action" in Puerto Plata and the education sector. The goal will be to evacuate more than two thousand students from five schools in Puerto Plata which are located in areas vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.

Mermet shared the head table with the deputy director of the Emergency Operations Center, Edwin Olivares, director ONAMET Gloria Ceballos, the representative of ISU, Felix Martinez, the program officer of the European Commission, Gina Sosa, the coordinator of the Risk Management Unit of the Ministry of Education, Milagros Yost, the representative of the National Emergency Commission, José Jose Alcantara and Professor Miguel Llivina of UNESCO Office in La Havana.