The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) yesterday said that there was no formal tsunami early warning system in the region, but the agency was in discussions with at least four institutions with the aim of setting up one.

The four institutions, according to CDERA, are the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, University of Puerto Rico Seismic Network, University of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), and the Seismic Research Unit at the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus.

"The focus of the Intra-Americas Sea Tsunami Warning System (IAS TWS) was initially on Puerto Rico and the USVI, but the system is now being widened to include the rest of the Caribbean," the agency said in a news release.

But even as CDERA made it clear that funding will determine the speed at which the system can be implemented, the agency suggested that it would not be too difficult, given that a foundation already existed in the region.

"There is already a basic framework that can be used for an early warning system in the Caribbean which comprise equipment such as tidal gauges established by the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change and an early warning system set up for the Kick 'em Jenny underwater volcano," the agency said.

Kick 'em Jenny is a submarine volcano located six miles north of Grenada. It is the southernmost active volcano in the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc and the only active submarine volcano in the arc.

The CDERA release was issued as concerns mounted in the region yesterday that tidal waves similar to those that have killed more the 55,000 people in Asia and Africa on Sunday could affect the Caribbean.

The tidal waves were unleashed by a massive underwater earthquake in southern Asia.

However, CDERA said that while tsunamis can occur in the Caribbean, the probability was low. In fact, only four earthquakes in the past 500 years have created tsunamis in the region and the maximum height of these waves was two metres, said CDERA.

The agency also said that Kick 'em Jenny posed no threat now or in the immediate future.

However, yesterday, CDERA urged the public in its 16 member states to get familiar with earthquake and volcano preparedness measures so they could safegueard themselves if the Caribbean experienced a similar catastrophe.

The agency also said that the events from the Indian Ocean underwater earthquake have again emphasised the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States and should further justify the call for their special consideration in support of sustainable development interventions.

"It also highlights the importance of addressing critical threats to the region other than the hurricane hazard," CDERA's co-ordinator, Jeremy Collymore, said.

"The seismic events present their own set of challenges, the potential impact of these hazards can be quite devastating," Collymore added. "CDERA has recognised the need for the region to accelerate its level of preparedness to deal with these events and is supporting this through strengthening of the agency's search and rescue capability and volcanic contingency planning."

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World