A full-scale exercise began on Tuesday in Martinique. It will run until next Friday; the fire service, police, military, prefectures and local councils will all be mobilised. The exercise involves simulating a major earthquake (8.3 on the Richter scale), followed by a tsunami.
In a press release, the Martinique Prefecture points out that this exercise enables the supply chain to be tested from start to finish, emergency response to a major incident: evacuation, clearance operations, critical infrastructure out of service, the delivery and organisation of national and international aid, coordination of emergency services and public services, etc...
The exercise isn’t over yet
Since last week, European experts have been on site as part of the exercise, working with local stakeholders to optimise the response and organisational system for such events. As this is a large-scale simulation, emergency services from Spain arrived yesterday. The prefecture commends the teaching staff at schools located in coastal areas, who had to lead the pupils – some of whom were very young – to the evacuation centres in their respective localities. The exercise is not yet over.
© Prefect of Martinique
© Prefect of Martinique