Leave the signs, CZMU pleads

The Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) Dr Leo Brewster has voiced concern about the vandalism of tsunami warning signs in the country.

Speaking at the Tsunami Ready Recognition ceremony for St James Central on Tuesday, Dr Brewster called attention to the recent removal of critical signage in Christ Church.

“We’ve had vandalism in the Christ Church constituency that we just did where people took down signs. People don’t understand the significance of the removal of signs. But some people have been out on the boardwalk when we’ve had category one or category two storms passing….When a surge comes through, you need to know where to go. You should not be tampering with these signs because one, they are government property, and two, the positions that they have been placed in are not whims and fancies. They are locations of significance and arrangements have been made with property owners to get the permission to place the sign.”

The CZMU director called for better community cooperation, urging organisations like the Disaster Emergency Organisations (DEOs) to spread the message.

“I’m really imploring the DEOs to send out the message to all their membership and their communities – do not tamper with these signs because they bear significant relevance in the event of an emergency when a storm surge or a tsunami wave is going to be happening,” Brewster said. (LG)