Earthquake drill will focus on the East Coast

officials are preparing for the possibility of similar seismic activity in the Atlantic basin that could threaten the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean by launching two separate drills over the next 2 weeks.

On March 11, through the CaribeWave ’21 Tsunami Warning System Exercise, officials will drill for two hypothetical earthquakes.  At 9am ET, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center will act as if a 8.0 magnitude earthquake strikes at 18.2 North 75.3 West near Jamaica. At the time time, an even more powerful 8.5 earthquake will strike near the Northern Lesser Antilles at 18.9 North 62.4 West.  In the drill exercise, a simulated tsunami striking portions of Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and portions of Central and South America will be practiced with the first quake, while a broader, more impactful  tsunami will be simulated with the second.

Days later a March 17 LANTEX21 drill will simulate an even more powerful 8.8 earthquake in the North Atlantic at 8am ET. The quake, centered at a depth of 9 miles at 36.0 North and 15.0 West will drive a potentially destructive tsunami towards  the U.S. and Canadian East Coasts.

In the LANTEX21 drill, a Tsunami Warning will be “issued” for coastal areas of Newfoundland and Labrador from Cape Ray, Newfoundland to Cape Chidley, Labrador while a Tsunami Advisory will be “issued” for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the balance of the North American east coast from Cape Ray,  Newfoundland to Flamingo, Florida.

The plan is to bring tsunami awareness to a coastline that doesn’t experience them often. But can!