Three community consultation workshops held in Saint George, Grenada, to support ongoing Tsunami Ready project

A series of three consultation workshops on tsunami risk and preparedness were held within the Parish of Saint George, Grenada, from February to May 2023. These activities took place in the context the Tsunami Ready project “Strengthening Capacities for Tsunami Early Warning in Grenada”, funded by the Australian Direct Aid Program (DAP) and IOC-UNESCO and implemented by the IOC-UNESCO Caribbean Tsunami Information Center (CTIC).

The community consultations were led by the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) of Grenada, who delivered presentations on project sensitization and tsunami outreach activity. A second part of the workshops focused on presenting of and discussion on draft inundation and evacuation maps prepared by Dr Shawn Charles (project expert consultant). These maps have been prepared for five different areas of the Parish of Saint George: St. George’s City, Grand Anse, Grand Mal, Point Salines, and Tanteen.

The consultation sessions were attended by key national authorities, including representatives from the Meteorological Service (National Tsunami Warning Focal Point), the Ministry of Mobilization, Implementation and Transformation, and the Ministry of Economics and Planning. In addition, a diverse range of stakeholders from the community also participated in these events such as representatives from the Grenada Electricity Services (GRENLEC), St. George’s University, the Chamber of Commerce, Huggins Grenada Limited, the Red Cross/HOPALS, NEXA Credit Union, the Grenada Amateur Radio Club, and local residents.

Importantly, the first community consultation (on 8 February) was attended by High Commissioner Bruce Lendon, Australia’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago and accredited to the Caribbean, who provided opening remarks on behalf of the Government of Australia. He drew attention to the devasting toll of tsunamis across the globe, making specific reference to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami role as a wake-up call and catalyst for tsunami early warning systems worldwide. In this context, the Australian High Commission, through their Direct Aid Program, support projects which enhance warning, preparedness and resilience to tsunamis and overall promote climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Dr Terrence Walters, National Disaster Coordinator, NaDMA), also participated in the first consultation session. Through his opening remarks, he highlighted the threat of tsunamis to coastal communities in Grenada and the Caribbean, and emphasized the importance of developing strong preparedness measures to address tsunami events. He also made reference to Grenada’s past involvement in Tsunami Ready project which had led to successful recognition of communities in St. Patrick and Carriacou and Petite Martinique in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The community consultation sessions have been a critical tool to raise awareness and build capacity on tsunamis in St. George’s, as well as receive feedback on proposed evacuation routes and assembly points. Based on the outcomes of these workshops, NaDMA is now working to develop an Emergency Operations Plan for tsunamis in Saint George as well as procure low-technology equipment to support warning, and install tsunami signage across the proposed Tsunami Ready community of St. George’s City to Point Salines.

The Tsunami Ready project in Grenada (“Strengthening Capacities for Tsunami Early Warning in Grenada”) aims to improve tsunami early warning and preparedness for communities in the Parish of Saint George. The project specifically targets vulnerable populations living along the St. George’s City to Point Salines coastline for recognition under the IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Recognition Programme by end of 2023. Grenada already possesses two Tsunami Ready communities at St. Patrick, and Petit Martinique and Carriacou both of which are due for renewal under the programme by 2023. The Tsunami Ready Programme is a comprehensive, international initiative coordinated by IOC-UNESCO and implemented in partnership with international, regional, national and community stakeholders.  Tsunami Ready forms a major component of the IOC-UNESCO-led United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021 – 2030 which has a Societal Outcome goal to make 100% of communities at risk to tsunamis prepared through the Tsunami Ready Programme and other initiatives.