DDM receiving increased requests for earthquake education sessions from local private sector
The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) has reported an increase in the number of local businesses requesting to have earthquake education sessions conducted at their places of business.
This follows the recent earthquakes that have been impacting neighbouring Puerto Rico and causing minor tremors in sections of the British Virgin Islands.
DDM’s Information & Education Manager, Chrystall Kanyuck-Abel, told BVI News on Monday that the recent tremors have prompted some business owners to pursue the educational sessions to ensure their businesses and homes are prepared in the event of a seismic disaster.
“We’ve definitely been getting an increase in the number of requests for information and the number of requests for presentations. We do offer safety presentations to the private sector when they request them and we’ve had a couple more requests for that. We’ve been making presentations in the community so far already,” Kanyuck-Abel said.
She also told our news centre that a number of schools across the territory have been undergoing similar exercises through an initiative set out by the Ministry of Education.
“The Ministry of Education has been encouraging all of the schools and the early-education centres to tests their plans. We’ve heard from the Permanent Secretary that almost all the schools carried out emergency drills last week,” she added.
Persons are encouraged to download DDM’s mobile application to receive the latest information relating to natural disasters affecting the territory.
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If all thought Nuclear IrMaria were bad, and they were relative to destruction think again.
The next wave of destruction will be utterly complete due to over priced but shady weak structural material, and even shadier construction that looks marvelous from the outside but does not meet any standards for diaster preparedness on the inside.
There are many, many night mares, deaths and destructions that will visit in time. Just a matter of when.
Build strong today or re-build tomorrow if you survive to.
DDM, nature has given ample warning.
Look back two years and to 22 miles to the west for ample evidence of this.
It is time to raise those building codes and standards significantly. Take warning today or pay the consequences tomorrow.
you could raise building codes and standards as high as the skies it not goin save your property in the event of any earthquake , is that so hard to see?
@At Anonymous at a point in time we used to equate size with strength and value; (bigger was thought to be better) .
While insisting on strict adherence to building codes and building strength, that might not be enough relative to the increasing strength of hurricanes and earthquakes as experienced lately.
Japan appears to be the earthquake capital of the world; (Every day about 1,000 tremors that can be felt are produced in Japan; with more than 130,000 quakes logged in Japan in 2005).
We might very well need to revise our building code shortly to incorporate improved building designs and materials.
During the most intense moment during the passage of hurricane Irma I noticed with interest, a single coconut tree about 30-35 feet tall waving and tossing in the wind (as if dancing to a tune) bend as much as 50% its height (15 feet) towards the ground in one direction then to the other side without breaking. Meanwhile a building next to it had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The coconut tree was shortly after the storm straighten back up to its original position with a backhoe and held in place by pieces of wood.
During 1989 near the start of the world series games at Candlestick Park, California an earthquake measuring 7.5 struck causing much damage and loss of lives, including taking down the top level of the Bay Bridge which connected San Francisco and the East Bay (several communities to the east).
The prisons and tall buildings survived without damage due to engineering design and materials used in their foundations enabling them to yield to the vibrational stress without breaking; somewhat similar but nowhere near the flexibility of the coconut tree. The engineering and materials used are said to be patented after buildings in Japan, subjected to the frequency and intensity of earthquakes more than most other parts.
It would be safe to say that before the hurricanes of 2017, many buildings were not built with the awareness and possibility of hurricanes above category #3 strength, and similarly not with expectancy of stronger earthquake values than 3 or 4 as were the norm back during old school times.
Delighted to know that I can be educated on how to ensure my business and home and LIFE are prepared in the event of an earthquake. How much do these sessions costs ? I am looking forward to them!
are the educators PROPHETS , if not they will be scrambling for cover too