THERE WAS no tsunami roaring towards the shore, but should there be, 48 people now know how to make their way to higher ground in Martin’s Bay, St John.
They were part of the Department of Emergency Management’s (DEM)/Coastal Zone Management Unit’s (CZMU) first coastal walk for the year last Sunday. It was one of the activities to mark Earthquake and Tsunami Smart Month.
The walkers started in Bath, St John, and about two hours later arrived at their destination of Martin’s Bay.
Led by CZMU’s Allison Wiggins, the walkers were regaled with stories like how Bath got its name, and those features which were present along the coast. DEM director Kerry Hinds reinforced the measures to be taken should people see the sea recede or hear a strange roar from the ocean.
DEM programme officer Danielle Skeete later told the MIDWEEK NATION the hikers presented a good mix of children and adults.
“We went along the old Train Line and made about three stops along the way, and then at the end of it we had a twist,” she explained.
“At the end of it we actually did the evacuation route out of Martin’s Bay which the children enjoyed, but for the rest of us it was a little tough,” she said with a laugh.
“The walkers actually said that was the worst part, that the walk was good but the evacuation . . . because we would have gone up the hill there in Martin’s Bay.”
Skeete said the response to the walk, the first one held in many years by the CZMU, was overwhelming.
“It has gotten such a good response that we are hoping to do something in June, which is Hurricane Awareness Month.” (HLE)