The first community drill exercise in case of tsunami in Haiti was conducted in the district of Petite Anse in Cap Haitian on July 17, 2014. At 9: 00 AM the members of the "Community Response Teams - EICs" in Petite Anse, started mobilizing the population to the assembly point where about 600 people were educated on tsunami risk.
218 volunteers (Scouts, Rangers, Red Cross) were involved in securing the evacuation axes and 55 staff on medical safety. Public safety (crowd movement and traffic) was taken by the police (National Haiti, UNPOL and MINUSTAH Police) who deployed 142 staff.
The Director of Civil Protection, Mrs. Marie Alta Jean Baptiste, congratulated the institutions involved in the organization, for the excellent safety tools deployed and for mobilizing key actors working in the management of risks and disasters at Community level in the area of Petite Anse. This area is highly vulnerable to tsunami threat because it was urbanized by infilling of mangroves and building homes that do not meet basic standards of construction. The vulnerability of the population is exacerbated by the lack of knowledge of tsunami risk.
As part of the preparation of this simulation exercise, members of the local committee for risk and disaster management (CLGRD) in Petite Anse were trained on the tsunami threat and outreach door to door was conducted. This simulation is a significant public awareness exercise and provides a training opportunity for community actors to strengthen their organizational capacity and response in case of tsunami.
This activity was organized in the framework of the project "Consolidating Haitian capacities for tsunami early warning and preparedness" coordinated by the National System for Disaster Risk Management and UNESCO and funded by the Directorate General of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection of the European Commission (ECHO).
The Indonesian coast, between Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, after the earthquake and the tsunami of 26 December 2004. Photo by Evan Schneider © UN Photo
UNESCO supports Member States in improving capabilities for tsunami risk assessment, implementing early warning systems and enhancing preparedness of communities at risk. UNESCO works closely with national institutions and promotes inter-institutional and regional cooperation. Specialized regional centers provide tsunami information that, together with national analysis, is the basis of the warnings issued for the public. In addition, UNESCO promotes community-based approaches in the development of response plans and awareness campaigns which strongly involve education institutions and end-users.