A major milestone in coastal disaster preparedness has been achieved on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, as the coastal district of Choiseul has officially secured the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s prestigious “Tsunami Ready” certification, marking it as the second district on the island to earn this global recognition for disaster readiness.
Crucially, the certification does not signal that Choiseul is entirely immune to tsunami events or that it will avoid severe damage or loss should a large tsunami strike. Instead, it serves as formal verification that the community has implemented a full suite of proactive preparedness measures designed to keep residents safe during a tsunami emergency. These systems mean locals already understand how to identify early tsunami threats, receive official emergency alerts, and move quickly to safe evacuation zones when an alarm is raised, eliminating the confusion that often undermines safety during sudden disasters.
The concrete preparedness steps that qualified Choiseul for the designation include detailed mapping of high-risk coastal zones, the creation of clear, marked evacuation routes to higher ground, the installation of standardized, easy-to-understand warning signs across at-risk areas, ongoing public education campaigns to build disaster awareness among all age groups, and regular emergency drills to ensure every resident knows their role and route before an event occurs. This preparation means residents will not be forced to make critical, life-or-death decisions for the first time when a tsunami warning is issued.
Choiseul follows in the footsteps of Laborie, Saint Lucia’s first “Tsunami Ready” district, which received the same recognition back in 2022, two years prior to Choiseul’s certification. The achievement is the result of cross-sector collaboration that brought together a wide range of community stakeholders, rather than the work of a single group. Local private businesses, the Saint Lucia Fire Service, national police forces, the Choiseul Credit Union, and the island’s Disaster Ready Committee all received public acknowledgement for their contributions to advancing the project.
Two key leaders were also recognized for their on-the-ground work: Mark A Philip, the lead consultant for the national Tsunami Ready project, and Jeny Gaillard, Chairperson of the Choiseul District Disaster Management Committee, whose coordination was critical to meeting the program’s strict standards. Special recognition was granted to disability advocate Christy Joseph, whose persistent advocacy has ensured that the needs of people living with disabilities are centered and accounted for in all stages of Choiseul’s disaster preparedness planning and emergency response protocols, closing a critical gap in inclusive disaster risk reduction on the island.