A mid-morning earthquake that shook the Eastern Caribbean on Saturday has triggered immediate damage assessment efforts led by Antigua and Barbuda’s National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), with regional officials working to document impacts across multiple island territories.
The tremor, recorded at 10:50 a.m. local time, was first categorized as a magnitude 6.5 event by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre, the entity that tracks seismic activity across the Eastern Caribbean. The center later issued a correction, updating the earthquake’s official magnitude to 6.4.
The shaking was not confined to Antigua and Barbuda: the quake was felt as far north as Tortola, with reports of tremors also coming from Montserrat and Guadeloupe. Crucially, officials confirmed the event did not pose a major tsunami risk to coastal communities across the region.
In line with standard seismic protocol, the UWI center has warned local populations to prepare for aftershocks in the coming hours and days. Some of these secondary tremors could reach magnitudes of 3.5 or higher, and are strong enough to be felt by residents across affected areas.
Thus far, Antigua and Barbuda has reported no casualties from the main earthquake. Volunteer District Disaster Coordinators, deployed across every community on the islands in partnership with NODS, have been mobilized to conduct on-the-ground checks to confirm unconfirmed damage reports. To build a full picture of commercial impacts, NODS has also established direct communication with the Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce, which is compiling feedback from local business owners.
Beyond Antigua and Barbuda’s borders, the disaster agency also holds oversight responsibility for several smaller sub-regional territories, including St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and St. Martin, as well as Montserrat, where the quake was felt. NODS has been in contact with officials across all these territories to coordinate assessment efforts.
NODS has issued a public call for any resident or business owner that has sustained damage from the earthquake to contact the office directly at 462-4206 to file a report. The agency has also reminded the public to follow standard earthquake safety protocol: whenever a tremor strikes, people should drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy piece of furniture, and hold on until shaking stops. Full damage cost data will be released to the public as soon as assessment work is completed.