Abinader joins National Earthquake Drill as Dominican Republic tests emergency response

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader participated Tuesday in the National Earthquake Evacuation Drill, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that the Dominican Republic is prepared to respond to emergencies and other unforeseen events.

Abinader thanked the public and private companies, institutions and citizens who participated in the nationwide exercise, which was designed to strengthen earthquake preparedness and test the country’s emergency response mechanisms.

As part of the drill, the president and staff at the National Palace followed established evacuation routes and descended the building’s stairs. Abinader was then escorted by members of the Presidential Security Corps (Cusep) to the presidential vehicle near the palace heliport, following the protocol established for an emergency.

Emergency alert system tested

At approximately 10:00 a.m., mobile phones across the Dominican Republic received a national alert as part of the earthquake drill. The message clearly stated that there was no real emergency and instructed participants to evacuate using designated routes and proceed to established meeting points.

The Emergency Operations Center (COE) urged participants to remain calm, stay away from objects that could fall, avoid running or pushing, and not use elevators during the evacuation.

The activation of the alert was intended to simulate real emergency conditions while evaluating the response capacity of citizens, government institutions, businesses, schools and other participating organizations.

The September 8 drill was coordinated by the COE to help the population practice evacuation procedures and strengthen national preparedness and response capabilities in the event of a major earthquake.