Work is continuing on the creation of a mobile notification app to assist in sending out critical information to the public in times of emergencies.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands director Danielle Coleman said Wednesday the app, which will be available for download, will be ready by April or May.
She said the app is part of phase two of the National Emergency Notification System (NENS) and will provide an integrated approach to informing the public about national emergencies, including issuing SMS and social media alerts.
“We strongly encourage everyone to download this app because again, those notifications would come directly through that as one voice,” Coleman said as she addressed a media briefing Wednesday on Cayman’s response following Tuesday’s earthquake.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at 2:10pm, and following the tremor, the Hazard management emergency response began, she said.
Coleman said HMCI activated the NENS, triggering a radio interruption alert across 16 radio stations at 2.27pm.
She said this was only done after the potential tsunami advisory was verified by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. However, she said, prior to that verification, other alerts were issued on social media, www.Caymanprepared.ky and Facebook.
“I feel very confident. It was a very robust response given that both the social media and the emergency notification radio interrupt came through within nine, 10 minutes,” Coleman said.
She said a debriefing is planned for Friday.
“There’ll be lessons learned from this,” she added.
Coleman said Hazard Management will be working with stakeholders, including police, to ensure its response continues to be as “effective and responsible as possible”.
Premier Alden McLaughlin, commenting on the response, said it could have been a different situation if the earthquake had happened at night. “I think we need to do some evaluation, some assessment ourselves, and determine how we would respond if that were to be the case,” noting that unlike for hurricanes you cannot prepare for earthquakes. “You’re flailing, quite frankly, to think about how do we respond to this? What do we do?”
Coleman agreed, saying families should have an emergency plan. She also said residents should always be prepared with supplies in case of emergencies.
Both she and McLaughlin addressed the issue of misinformation that spread throughout the community in the wake of Tuesday’s earthquake.
They both said the public should stick to getting information from official sources. They added that sharing unverified information contributed to confusion.
Coleman also addressed concerns from the public about mixed messages on what to do during an earthquake. Some alerts said to stay indoors, while others said to get outside.
“If you feel a very strong earthquake, like we did yesterday, don’t wait for the notification. You need to make sure you evacuate vertically as much as possible, but also, again, have a family plan in place now [for] every eventuality,” she said. Coleman said businesses should also have a plan for staff.
“Family plans and work plans need to be very solid. Continuity [of] operations in a business needs to be very solid,” she added.
She also said the Public Works Department was assessing structural damage of public buildings, but private buildings, like homes, would have to be done privately. The Planning Department, she said, is also performing assessments.
Home Affairs Minister Tara Rivers said the minimal damage sustained was a “testament” to Cayman’s building code.
“Our building code, I think is second to none. The fact that our buildings have withstood such a magnitude of earthquake is a testament to that,” she added.
Members of the media also took a tour of the HMCI office where the emergency response was coordinated. Coleman, during that tour, said assessments of damage around the islands were being collected and collated through an internal app to which emergency responders are all linked.
HAZARD MANAGEMENT TIMELINE
2:10pm Earthquake felt
2:17pm Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issues alert of 7.3 magnitude earthquake, tsunami advisory issued based on tremor size
2:20pm Hazard Management updated social media, website
2:26pm Tsunami advisory message with arrival times verified by PTWC
2:27pm NENS alert issued
2:30pm Joint Communication Service (government comms team, RCIPS and others) activated
2:34pm United States Geological Survey reports 7.7 magnitude earthquake
2:48pm Estimated a wave expected for Cayman Islands
3:04pm Alert that tsunami unlikely to impact Cayman Islands
3:49pm All clear given
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