The thirteenth annual Regional Tsunami Exercise of the UNESCO/IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunamis and Other Coastal Hazards for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS), CARIBE WAVE 24, is conducted on the 21st of March 2024 at 1500 UTC to assist tsunami preparedness efforts throughout the Caribbean and adjacent regions. More than 700.000 people registered in the TsunamiZone. 

Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade, Manager of the International Tsunami Information Center Caribbean Office (ITIC-CAR), discussing the PTWC tsunami products for the Puerto Rico Trench scenario with the analysts of the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (Credit: Kimberly Maisonet Gonzalez, ITIC-CAR contractor)

Purpose: Coordinate planning, running, and follow-up of CARIBE WAVE Exercises.

Leadership:

- Chair: Antonio Aguilar

- Vice Chair: Gisela Baez Sanchez

Tasks:

- Propose and coordinate development of scenarios agreed by ICGs.

- Coordinate preparation of CARIBE WAVE activities, including establishing a timeline, publishing of Exercise Manuals, and organization of relevant informational materials and events.

- Follow-up on CARIBE WAVE outcomes including coordinating post-event surveys and reporting

Membership: ICG Officers, Technical Secretary of ICG CARIBE-EWS, ITIC-CAR  PTWC, CEPREDENAC, CDEMA, other invited experts.

Purpose: To advise and recommend to the ICG strategies to enhance awareness, education, preparedness, response capabilities and mitigation and to develop the necessary recommendations, tools and procedures.

Leadership:

- Chair: Silvia Chacon (Costa Rica)
- Vice Chairs for Subgroups:

- Preparedness and Response capabilities: Jacob Ngumbah (St Kitts and Nevis)
- Mitigation: Stacey Edwards (SRC)
- Tsunami Ready: Fabian Hinds (Barbados)

Tasks

General

- Consider UN Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme and other relevant decade actions, the Regional Action Plan for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in the Americas and the Caribbean and the UN Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4ALL).
- Present a progress report based on the Key Performance Indicators related to the UN ODTP.
- Support the development of guidelines and capacity development on preparedness, response and recovery planning for Member States, communities and organizations, which should include sharing of training and evacuation best practices.

4.1 Preparedness and Response capabilities

- Identify the public awareness and education strategies and tools that the Member States can integrate into their risk reduction and emergency management programs.
- To closely cooperate with the Caribbean Tsunami Information Centre (CTIC) in carrying out its mandate and in the implementation of its program.

4.2 Mitigation

- Identify mitigation best practices related to plans, structural and nature-based solutions
- Advise Member States on measures to minimize impacts to critical infrastructure and marine assets from tsunamis and other coastal hazards.

- Identify and employ strategies to support mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into urban planning.

4.3 Tsunami Ready

- Identify and employ strategies to ensure 100% of at-risk communities achieve UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready recognition.

Please note that the structure of ICG/CARIBE-EWS Working Groups was updated and modified at ICG/CARIBE-EWS-XVI in April 2023. The webpage for the previous (now outdated and defunct) WG4 on Preparedness, Readiness and Resilience is available here.

Purpose: To examine current and developing capacities and advise the ICG about the definition and composition of early warnings and tsunami products and the methods and best practices for effective end-to-end dissemination and communication.

Leadership:

- Chair: Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade (USA)

- Vice-Chair: Susan Hodge (Anguilla)

Tasks:

- Explore and document the dissemination capabilities and existing alert guidance in the countries of the region.
- Identify the difficulties and challenges existing in the region that hinder the impact of “end to end” dissemination and communication of early warnings.
- Establish strategies for the development and implementation of methods and technologies to strengthen the interaction with the media and dissemination of early warnings within the countries of the region.
- Evaluate communication tests and tsunami exercises, in order to identify weaknesses and make recommendations to help strengthen these delivery systems.
- Create communication protocol and standardized information identifying the minimum acceptable levels for communication and dissemination of tsunami early warning in all countries for approval by the ICG.
- Provide feedback to the Tsunami Service Providers on its products and communication procedures.
- Serve as a reviewing and approving body for proposed changes to TSP products for the CARIBE-EWS, or determine if proposed changes warrant going to the ICG for review and approval.
- Present a progress report based on the Key Performance Indicators related to the UN ODTP.
- Promote the sharing of experience and expertise, and capacity building essential to effective tsunami warning dissemination and communication.

Please note that the structure of ICG/CARIBE-EWS Working Groups was updated and modified at ICG/CARIBE-EWS-XVI in April 2023. The webpage for the previous (now outdated and defunct) WG3 on Tsunami Related Services is available here.

Purpose: To review and recommend to the ICG priorities and actions required to ensure and enhance existing capabilities as well as explore new technologies to improve tsunami detection and forecasting capability.

Leadership: 

- Chair: Elizabeth Vanacore (USA)

- Vice Chairs for Subgroups

- Tsunami Source Identification and Characterization: Dan McNamara (USA)

- Tsunami Detection: Gloria Romero (Venezuela)

- Tsunami Forecasting: Chris Moore (USA)

Tasks:

General

- Support the operations of a fully interoperable regional tsunami warning system.

- Support and integrate the work of the subgroups.

- Present a progress report based on the Key Performance Indicators related to the UN ODTP.

- Establish strategies to enhance the warning system by including the detection, analysis and forecasting of other coastal hazards.

- Promote the sharing of experience and expertise, and capacity building essential to effective tsunami source characterization, detection and forecasting.

2.1 Tsunami Source Detection, Identification and Characterization

- Ensure the effectiveness of the observational system by promoting the open exchange of seismic and other relevant data in real time.

- Advise member states on the monitoring and detection capabilities of tsunamigenic sources needed for operating national tsunami warning centre.

- Assure the compliance with the agreed standards for the detection systems.

2.2 Tsunami Wave Detection

- Ensure the effectiveness of the observational system by promoting the open exchange of sea level data in real time.

- Advise member states on the tsunami monitoring and detection capabilities needed for operating national tsunami warning centres.

- Assure the compliance with the agreed standards for the tsunami detection systems.

2.3 Tsunami Forecasting

- Define the operational requirements for the monitoring and forecasting systems.

- Provide guidance on tsunami forecasting tools to TSPs, NTWCs and provide actionable information to emergency managers.

- Explore, experiment and test novel approaches for tsunami forecasting.

Please note that the structure of ICG/CARIBE-EWS Working Groups was updated and modified at ICG/CARIBE-EWS-XVI in April 2023. The webpage for the previous (now outdated and defunct) WG2 on Tsunami Hazard Assessment is available here.

Purpose: To advise the ICG on the identification and characterization of the risk associated with tsunami and other coastal hazards, and their assessment and required modeling.

Leadership:

- Chair: Frederic Dondin (France)
- Vice-Chair: Raphaël Paris (France)

Tasks:

- Review and evaluate required methods and data sets, including bathymetry and coastal topography for determining coastal hazards.

- Advise the Member States on the requirements for operating the appropriate models for risk assessment.

- Advise and build capacity for risk assessments and their interpretation.

- Present a progress report based on the Key Performance Indicators related to the United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme (ODTP)

- Advise and seek advice from Member States about other coastal hazards that can be included into the warning system.

- Promote the sharing of experience and expertise, and capacity building essential to effective tsunami risk knowledge.

Please note that the structure of ICG/CARIBE-EWS Working Groups was updated and modified at ICG/CARIBE-EWS-XVI in April 2023. The webpage for the previous (now outdated and defunct) WG1 on Monitoring and Detection Systems is available here.

The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS) has developed a number of documents outlining the goals and function of the tsunami warning system. Many of these documents are periodically updated to reflect the evolution of the system. 

Convenors: Capt Alex FERRERO RONQUILLO(Colombia)
                          Dr. Albert E MARTIS (Curaçao)
                          Ms. Sharleen Dabreo (British Virgin Islands –UK)

Chair: Jose Jorge Escobar (Honduras) – Chair (2017-

Membership:

1. Jose Jorge Escobar (Honduras) – Chair (2017-

2. Roy Ruiz, PRSN

3. Mathieu Peroche, France

4. Renaldo Sauveur, CNGIS, Haiti

5. Norwin Acosta, INETER, Nicaragua (Chair, 2018 -

6. Barbados (TBD, CZMU)

7. All representatives of Nicaragua to WG2 y WG4

8. All representatives of Venezuela to WG4

9. Teniente Coronel Luis Guillermo Acosta, Defensa Civil, Nicaragua

10. Bricelda Mora, FUNVISIS, Venezuela

Chair: Valerie Clouard, OVSM, France --- Chair (2018-

Membership:

1. Valerie Clouard, OVSM, France --- Chair (2018-

2. Mike Angove, NOAA, USA

3. Lissette Rodriguez, Universidad de Mayaguez, USA

4. Virginia Tenorio, INETER, Nicaragua

5. Richard Robertson, SRC

6. Roderick Stuart, SRC

7. Chip McCreery, PTWC, USA

8. Marta Calvache, Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Colombia

9. Dan McNamara , Chair WG1(2019- )

10. Emilio Talavera, Chair WG3 (2018- )

11. Christa Hillebrandt, Chair WG4 (2018- )

12. ex-officio B. Aliaga, Silvia Chacon (Chair ICG/CARIBE EWS)