January is being recognised locally as Earthquake Awareness Month.

There should be added attention to public education on this matter given Jamaica’s vulnerability to earthquakes due to its geographical location along the northern margin of the Caribbean plate and the presence of active faults on the island.

As well, in the wake of our recent brush with two tremors in the latter half of 2023, with aftershocks reported on a wide scale, many people are still on tenterhooks.

That the island was spared severe damage should be cold comfort to us as preparation is the only defence against these potentially devastating natural disasters.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie was reported as saying earthquake awareness and preparedness should be a year-round activity.

“We need to ensure that our programme of information and education is not just in the month of January but every week, every month of the year,” said the minister.

Whether this was offered with the intention of becoming a sound bite, or the minister was serious, will be determined by the policy decisions and actions that will follow in support of this declaration. We wait to see.

Mr McKenzie indicated that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has been tasked with creating and disseminating messages to the public in advancing this effort. Surely the minister knows that fuel and funding must be directed to that agency to make this dream a reality.

Earthquake Awareness Month this year is being observed under the theme ‘Drop, Cover, Hold, Earthquake readiness is within our control’.

It is hoped that individuals at all stages and circumstances will benefit from this improved readiness to survive and recover from this potential threat.

There is much evidence regionally and worldwide on building resilience and charting a course towards a return to normality after these events. We need only learn these lessons.

ODPEM Director General Mr Richard Thompson indicated that Jamaica recorded 345 earthquakes in 2023, but only 14 were felt.

With this knowledge, Minister McKenzie’s thrust ought to earn much support.

The 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Jamaica on October 30, 2023, said Mr Thompson, is a stark reminder of the country’s vulnerability and the efforts that are needed to ensure that the country is prepared.

Mr Thompson promises a “multisectoral, multi-agency approach to strengthen disaster preparedness and risk reduction, in addition to increasing disaster resilience in preparing for the response to and ultimately recovering from adverse earthquake events”. Again, we in this space hope these are not mere words without plans in support of them.

One agency which has seemingly caught on to the messaging is the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB).

Addressing the ODPEM’s Earthquake Awareness Month press launch this week, JFB Assistant Commissioner Mr Alrick Hacker shared that the JFB was overwhelmed with requests to do damage assessments after the recent tremors. As a result, the first-responders are training more safety inspectors amid other cross-training exercises.

The assistant commissioner also noted that the JFB’s light-level rescue technique training, which covers the removal of debris and use of hand tools, is being revisited.

Such intentional action is what will truly build readiness and save lives.