Dominica’s Earth Science Week – Virtual volcano and earthquake campaign

Dominicans residing both in and out of the island are set to benefit from a virtual public awareness campaign on volcanic and seismic hazards which kicks off this week.

This is part of the Earth Science Week event which is coordinated by The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) in different Eastern Caribbean countries each year. This year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The UWI-SRC is collaborating with the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) in Dominica for its first-ever virtual geo-hazard awareness campaign.

“Although the world’s attention is currently focused on the pandemic, it is important that we continue to be resilient in preparing and educating the public on geo-hazards as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can occur at any time,” said Dr Erouscilla Joseph, Director of The UWI Seismic Research Centre. “We are extremely pleased to be partnering with the ODM on this important event,” she continued.

The public will be afforded the opportunity to engage scientists, technical personnel and emergency management teams in the virtual space via Zoom sessions and social media to find out more on these hazards.

Key Activities for the Week Include;

1. On Monday November 23^rd at 10:00am, a simulcast radio interview about volcanoes and earthquake specific to Dominica facilitated by Dr. Erouscilla Joseph, Director of SRC; Stacey Edwards, Education & Outreach Manager (SRC); Mr. Fitzroy Pascal, National Disaster Coordinator and Mr. Mandela Christian, Programme Officer from the ODM. The public is urged to tune in for this informative discussion.
2. On Tuesday November 24^th The UWI-SRC will provide a virtual tour of its facility in Trinidad followed by a Q & A session for upper secondary school students in Dominica via a Zoom webinar.
3. On Wednesday November 25^th, at 10:00am, there will be a virtual public meeting by the SRC and ODM on Dominica’s volcanoes, earthquake impacts and preparedness among other interesting topics via Zoom (https://uwi.zoom.us/j/99276332491, Meeting ID: 992 7633 2491 / Passcode: 460029).
4. On Thursday November 26^th, a virtual national stakeholder consultation will be conducted with a focus on reviewing the Volcanic Alert Levels for Dominica.

Throughout the week videos, infographics and other products covering information on volcanoes and earthquakes in Dominica will be featured on the ODM and The UWI-SRC social media platforms (@uwiseismic; @ODMDominica1), including a virtual geological field visit to the Valley of Desolation & Boiling Lake which will be posted on Friday November 27th.

Fitzroy Pascal, National Disaster Coordinator stated that “It is important that the public is made aware of the ways they may be affected by volcanic and earthquake hazards and more so, how to be safe during these events.”  He continued, “I am encouraging the public to embrace this opportunity to increase their awareness on these hazards as we seek to build resilience in a multi-hazard environment.”

Dominica has nine (9) ‘live’ volcanoes which are monitored by The UWI Seismic Research Centre. Since December 2018 there has been ongoing swarms of volcanic earthquakes, some of which, have been felt, signalling that the island is volcanically active. The UWI-SRC and the ODM continue to work closely to monitor the activity and to keep the public educated and informed.

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