A minor earthquake of preliminary magnitude 3.4 was reported in Jamaica, in response to the Earthquake Unit on the College of the West Indies, Mona.
The quake occurred round 1:10 PM roughly 15km south of Hope Bay, Portland. It was felt in some sections of St. Andrew, however no harm has been reported.
Earthquake Consciousness Day
The quake occurred on the identical day when faculties throughout Jamaica performed security drills, as a part of their Earthquake Consciousness Day actions.
Jamaica’s Workplace of Catastrophe Preparedness and Emergency Administration (ODPEM) launched the Earthquake Consciousness Marketing campaign on January 14, 2024, beneath the theme ‘Drop, Cowl, Maintain, Earthquake Readiness Is Inside Our Management,’ with a collection of actions scheduled till January 31.
Keep ready, says ODPEM
Within the meantime, Minister of Native Authorities and Neighborhood Improvement, Desmond McKenzie, says earthquake consciousness and preparedness needs to be a year-round exercise.
That is given Jamaica’s vulnerability to earthquakes as a consequence of its geographical location alongside the northern margin of the Caribbean Plate and the presence of lively faults on the island.
“We have to make sure that our program of data and training is not only within the month of January however each week, each month of the 12 months,” McKenzie mentioned.
“I’ve tasked the Workplace of Catastrophe Preparedness and Emergency Administration (ODPEM) to make sure that each month, there are easy messages that may be performed. There can’t be an excessive amount of info on the market within the public area when it comes on to taking obligatory precautions round disasters,” he famous.
For his half, ODPEM Director Common, Richard Thompson, indicated that Jamaica recorded 345 quakes in 2023 however solely 14 had been felt.
“The ODPEM continues the drive to extend Jamaica’s inhabitants consciousness on earthquake security measures and greatest practices. That is being pursued by means of a multisectoral, multi-agency method to strengthen catastrophe preparedness and threat discount, along with growing catastrophe resilience in getting ready for the response to and finally recovering from adversarial earthquake occasions,” Thompson mentioned.
Citing the 5.6 magnitude quake that rocked Jamaica on October 30, 2023, Thompson mentioned it’s a stark reminder of the nation’s vulnerability and the efforts which might be wanted to make sure that the nation is ready.
