The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will conduct a live test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) capabilities, which includes the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The test will signal the start of the Caribe Wave 2019 Tsunami Warning Exercise in the territory. It will happen at 10 a.m. (AST), Thursday, March 14.
The exercise provides an excellent opportunity for residents to build resilience by exercising emergency communications, reviewing tsunami response procedures and promoting tsunami preparedness.
The EAS and WEA test messages will state: “This is a test of the U.S. Virgin Islands Tsunami Warning System. No action is required.”
The test will last approximately three minutes. All WEA and EAS messages will be issued to radio, television and cable, and on mobile phones throughout the territory. Due to the tsunami sirens throughout the territory being inoperable, there will be no tsunami sirens used during the exercise.
To sign up for emergency, weather related, public safety and service disruption alerts in the U.S.V.I., join up with Alert VI by visiting www.vitema.vi.gov.
Register participation in the Caribe Wave 2019 Tsunami Warning Exercise at www.TsunamiZone.org/register/ today.
For questions and additional information, contact Irvin Mason, VITEMA’s training and exercise coordinator, at 774-2244 or irvin.mason@vi.gov.
