By Emmanuel Joseph
Seismic experts have warned Barbadians to be on their guard constantly for a possible large earthquake striking here, following the “moderate” one that affected parts of the island on Tuesday morning but caused no damage or injury.
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams condemned the spreading of misinformation as he urged citizens to step up preparations for a future quake.
The 5.4 magnitude quake that was recorded 29 kilometres southwest of Bridgetown at 11:26 am, could be a precursor to a more severe event at any time in the future, said Stacey Edwards, education and outreach manager at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the St Augustine Campus in Trinidad.
She cautioned that while this country is not earthquake-prone, residents ought not to be lulled into a false sense of security.
“The message is that Barbados lies in an area that has low seismic activity. You do not have a lot of earthquakes occurring or impacting Barbados. However, the region itself is seismically active, and therefore, Barbados will occasionally be impacted by earthquakes. And you can have larger earthquakes occurring that may impact the island,” the Seismic Research Centre official told Barbados TODAY in a telephone interview from St Augustine.
Stacey Edwards, education and outreach manager at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre.
“People should be prepared for earthquakes…. The Caribbean as a whole is a multi-hazard environment…. Barbados has no volcanoes, but you were impacted by the ash from La Soufriere in St Vincent. So, the idea is, you should prepare for multi-hazards.
“Preparing for an earthquake would essentially mean knowing what to do during the event…get under a strong table, try not to panic, avoid elevators, make sure you have your emergency kits prepared as you would for hurricanes and tropical storms,” she added.
Edwards cautioned citizens that while aftershocks follow all earthquakes, they may or may not be felt on this occasion due to the size of the event.
The initial quake was measured by UWI seismologists as lasting for about eight minutes, but may not have been felt for that duration, she said, explaining that any resident would have experienced the effects for seconds at most because of the low intensity of the tremor and their location.
The tremor, which was felt in Bridgetown, other areas of St Michael and as far from the city centre as the rural parish of St Philip in the southeast, forced the brief evacuation of businesses in the heart of the country’s commercial hub and at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) headquarters in Pine Plantation.
A CXC employee recalled sitting at her desk when it started to shake and then all of her colleagues in the same department said they, too, felt the quake.
“So, everybody grabbed bags,” she reported. “Each department in my organisation has a fire marshal. So, our fire marshal told us to just walk cool and calm and we all came outside.”
While this tremor did not feel as strong as the magnitude 6.4 quake in 2015, it left her with a headache, she said.
Minister Abrahams said there were no reports of damage or injuries from the earth-shaking event. But he expressed concern that people were spreading misinformation about the quake which created unnecessary panic.
Abrahams told Barbados TODAY: “One of the most important things you can learn is to pay attention and monitor the official stations. When this [type of hazard] happens, we will respond as quickly as possible and in very short order, put out a statement through GIS [the Government Information Service] and Barbadians will be informed. There are a lot of people who were out there spreading news about aftershocks… [that] more and more are coming and about tsunamis coming, and generating unnecessary panic.
“The one thing we can learn is that the authorities are working with the people. We are all Barbadians and it is not in our interest to give people false information. . . . When things like this happen, whether it’s the hurricane season or anything like that, listen out for the official and reputable media channels, which would include Barbados TODAY. We all know who they are, and you will get the information you need,” he said, adding that there was no reason to fear a tsunami.
Abrahams further suggested that with building codes and building standards in place, prospective homeowners should plan for various hazards, including hurricanes and earthquakes.
“We do need to be aware in the continuing climate crisis we are in, that we are going to get more intense and more frequent climate-related activities which would include tremors, which would include hurricanes, which would include droughts, which would include very severe rainy seasons. So, let us be informed going forward,” he said.
President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB) Randy Graham said that while Tuesday’s tremor was not strong enough to cause damage resulting in claims, it should be a wake-up call for the country.
“It is a reminder that Barbados is not completely absolved from these things. We can get earthquakes here. Fortunately, they have been weak, but if they were strong those things could be damaging. So, just a reminder to the country that they are things we have to keep our eyes on,” he told Barbados TODAY.
Graham called for more frequent drills for hazards that include earthquake readiness.
He said: “In our building there are wardens and so on to remind us of these types of things,” he said. “But still, when it happens, you could still look around and see people nervous and confused as to what to do next. So, although you say when there is an earthquake go under the desk, use the stairs, don’t use the elevators, you still see people when they get into these positions, panicking and forgetting all of the instructions…. We need to rope these types of things into our security and into our planning so we are prepared, so when it happens, we don’t cause unnecessary panic.”
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
