STATEMENT BY DEPUTY GOVERNOR, MR. DAVID D. ARCHER, JR.
ON CARIBE WAVE EXERCISE CONTINUATION

WEDNESDAY, 18^TH MARCH, 2020

Public Officers of the Virgin Islands, Many of you would be making final preparations within your departments and agencies to participate in the Caribe Wave exercise on March 19. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak around the world, we have decided that the exercise will no longer include an evacuation component.

As we may all be aware, evacuation and assembling play an important role in our readiness for seismic hazards; but in this moment, it is more pressing for the Territory to focus on following best practices for preventing the spread of this infectious disease by social distancing which, in this case, means avoiding mass gatherings.

The Virgin Islands, along with other partners in the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE EWS), will proceed with the other components of the test. This means that persons should exercise any other responses that are necessary for a seismic event other than evacuation. We will receive all the emergency warning communications from the Department of Disaster Management, and we will practice the Drop, Cover and Hold technique. Depending on their duties and functions, some agencies may have additional actions to exercise.

Despite the circumstances that we face presently, we should all do our utmost to ensure we remain prepared for any natural disaster which could impact the Territory. The Caribe Wave exercise provides us with an opportunity to test existing procedures in our various agencies and we should all make an effort to participate.

I thank you in advance for your continued cooperation in this matter.

David D. Archer, Jr.

Deputy Governor