Dominican Republic participates in Caribbean Wave 2025 tsunami preparedness exercise

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic is taking part in the Caribbean Wave 2025 exercise, an annual event aimed at enhancing tsunami preparedness and response in the Caribbean. Coordinated by the Dominican Institute of Meteorology and the Emergency Operations Center (COE), the two-day exercise focuses on reviewing and updating local emergency plans, testing tsunami protocols, and improving inter-institutional coordination for disaster management.

The Dominican Republic is simulating a tsunami scenario caused by a powerful 8.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Portugal, which would impact the country’s Atlantic coast. The exercise evaluates the effectiveness of early warning systems and the speed of alerts, involving multiple agencies such as the Ministries of Defense, Public Health, Tourism, and Environment, as well as the National Police, Red Cross, and local authorities.

The exercise is part of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Coastal Hazards Early Warning Systems (ICG/CARIBE-EWS), with 48 Caribbean-EWS member countries participating. It aims to improve preparedness, strengthen coordination, and ensure that evacuation and warning systems are effective in vulnerable coastal areas.