BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has issued an apology for inadvertently issuing a Tsunami Watch for the Caribbean when it was intended for elsewhere.
The PTWC’s original alert indicated that a Caribbean-wide Tsunami Watch is in effect for Brazil, Barbados, Trinidad Tobago, French Guiana, Saint Lucia, Martinique, St. Vincent, Dominica, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Antigua, St. Kitts, Anguilla, Grenada, St. Martin, St. Maarten, Dominican Rep, Turks N Caicos, Bonaire, Curacao, Bahamas, Venezuela, Haiti, Bermuda, Suriname, Aruba, Cuba, Guyana, Colombia, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Panama, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua and Guatemala.
The alert was issued following a 7.9 earthquake which occurred off the coast of Costa Rica.
However, a subsequent alert issued by the PTWC explained that the Watch has been cancelled “because it was meant for the Pacific and was inadvertently sent to the Caribbean by mistake. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused””
Residents across St. Kitts-Nevis and the wider Caribbean can now breathe a sigh of relief with the cancellation of the Tsunami Watch.
However, some view this as an opportunity for persons to educate themselves about tsunamis, the way they operate and what action should be taken if a watch or warning is issued.
