Jamaicans urged to be prepared for earthquakes
Jamaica has been experiencing an unusually high number of felt earthquakes which has caused experts to urge citizens to take proactive steps in preparing for potential seismic events. The island, which sits at the juncture of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates, has long been susceptible to earthquakes due to its location along fault lines. “We are at a contact point between the North American plate and the Caribbean plate, so the faults actually pass through Jamaica,” said scientific officer at the Earthquake Unit, Carlene Black.
According to the Earthquake Unit, over 670 earthquakes were recorded on the island last year with a significant figure of 19 being felt quakes. This heightened activity is attributed, in part, to aftershocks from larger magnitude quakes. “That size earthquake would give aftershocks so that increased activity would be the aftershocks as the ground settles,” Black explained.
Despite the uptick, Black reassured that it doesn’t necessarily signal an impending major earthquake. However, she emphasised the need for vigilance. “From our standpoint, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to get a bigger one but, of course, we have had bigger earthquakes in the past,” she said, referencing the catastrophic quakes of 1692 in Port Royal and 1907 in Kingston. “Persons can’t just be complacent because they are unpredictable.”
For some Jamaicans, the concept of earthquake preparation feels elusive. Survivors like Chicola Chambers and Ry-Ann Reid reflected on the difficulty of readiness, both physically and mentally. “How can you prepare for an earthquake? It’s not like a hurricane, it’s not like a tropical storm, you can’t sense when or where,” Chambers remarked. She recalled being taught earthquake drills, including standing in door jambs and meeting at assembly points. However, she expressed doubts about their effectiveness. “The drop, cover, and hold drill was taught to us, but in the moment, when we’re filled with fear, I don’t think anyone remembers that.”
Reid shared a similar sentiment, explaining that her mother’s hurricane-like preparations, such as buying food, batteries, and solar lights, felt insufficient. “Those preparations only work if you manage to survive the shaking,” she said, adding that in moments of panic, remembering drills can be nearly impossible. “I feel like as humans, the first thing we do in a situation like that is freeze.”
Practical and psychological preparation
Black emphasized the importance of emergency kits and environmental awareness as key elements of earthquake readiness. “You really need to have food for three days, water, and medication if you need them, and bandages,” she said. She also urged Jamaicans to assess potential hazards in their neighbourhoods, such as old structures or trees that could block roads.
Beyond physical preparation, mental readiness is crucial, according to Black. “An earthquake is a natural hazard, it is not a disaster in and of itself, it is how we interact with it that makes it sometimes a disaster,” she said. She pointed to Japan’s resilience, citing their strong infrastructure and public education efforts as examples Jamaica could learn from.
“In Japan, they get big earthquakes quite often and with the inception of the 2011 earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.6 that they had, it wasn’t even the earthquake that caused much of the devastation, it was the mega-tsunami that they got following it,” she continued “So, you can build, and you can put in proper infrastructure to withstand or resist large earthquakes because you want to be able to survive.”
Black also noted that many earthquake injuries stem from panic-induced reactions rather than structural collapses. “With the earthquake in October 2023, a lot of the medical emergencies were persons with anxiety and sprained ankles. It’s from persons responding inappropriately to the earthquake,” she said.
Training officer at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Garran Diviney, highlighted the psychological toll earthquakes can have, particularly for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “If you have PTSD you tend to be afraid but be informed—even if you are going to be fearful,” he said.
He advised survivors to focus on staying calm during tremors. “Take deep breaths, count to 20 or count to 10, and just drop, cover, and hold as tight as possible,” he recommended.
Black echoed the sentiment that understanding earthquakes and preparing for them can help alleviate fear. “You can’t stop it, but you can take certain measures against it,” she said, underscoring the role of education in mitigating both physical and psychological risks.
Black noted, “Even though we can’t stop earthquakes, it’s not that there is nothing we can do.”
