Given a Caribbean tsunami could reach shore just five minutes after an earthquake hits, NOAA's Hillebrandt-Andrade says more accurately predicting the likelihood of a tsunami and its impact, and speeding up warnings to those at risk, is a priority.
Understanding risks makes it easier to analyze scenarios and map the potential impact, so scientists across the region are studying potential tsunami sources including underwater volcanos such as Grenada's Kick 'em Jenny, she said.
Finding ways to integrate satellite navigation systems with seismic monitoring is also being explored to enable analysts to rapidly assess earthquakes and their chances of tsunami generation, she said.
In the future, seismic and ocean pressure sensors could be attached to the web of undersea communications cables that criss-cross the seafloor, to efficiently gather information, she said.
Ronald Jackson, executive director of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, said there was currently a lack of detailed information on how tsunamis would impact individual countries which could be used to determine safe zones and better protect infrastructure.
Filling this gap would be costly but would help countries design an "all-hazard" risk models to make them resilient, he said.
"The challenge is going to be what is your priority of priorities in an environment where there are limited resources," said Jackson.
The annual threat of hurricanes in the region means much of the Caribbean has well-established disaster early warning systems that can also be used to communicate tsunami warnings.
But with communities often having just minutes to evacuate in case of tsunamis, public education and training remains key, said experts.
"The real problem with tsunamis is that you can save people, if they can save themselves," said Chandler.
Date:
30 January 2020
Sources:
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean (UNDRR AC)
Hazards:
Tsunami
Themes:
Early Warning
Country & Region:
Americas