A national tsunami preparedness exercise involving thousands of residents has given authorities a clearer picture of how Antigua and Barbuda would respond in the event of a real threat.

The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) said about 5,000 people took part in Thursday’s Caribe Wave exercise, which simulated a magnitude 7.6 earthquake near the Cayman Islands and tested evacuation to designated safe zones.

Public Relations Officer Mitzi Francis described the overall response as encouraging, noting that participation levels reflected growing public awareness of disaster risks.

The annual drill, part of a wider regional initiative, also assessed the effectiveness of emergency alert systems, including the Common Alerting Protocol, which delivers warnings through mobile apps, radio and sirens.

Participants were generally able to reach safe zones in a timely manner, although officials acknowledged that not everyone treated the exercise with the same level of seriousness.

Some issues were identified during the simulation, including reports of sirens sounding at incorrect times, which officials attributed to possible miscommunication.

Despite these challenges, NODS said coordination among emergency agencies, radio stations and response teams functioned well overall, providing a solid foundation for future improvements.

Officials stressed that continued public participation and regular training will be essential to strengthening national readiness, particularly in a region where tsunami threats, though infrequent, have been recorded historically.