THE MONA RESOLUTION
Education, Outreach and a Tsunami Warning System for the Caribbean

Special Meeting:  Status of a Tsunami Warning System for the Caribbean
Chair:  Prof. Ronald Young, Dean FPAS
Co-Chair: Prof. George Maul, Chairman,
IOCARIBE Tsunami Steering Group of Experts

Present:
Mr. Rafi Ahmad, Unit for Disaster Studies, Dept. of Geology & Geography, UWI, Mona
Dr. Barbara Carby, ODPEM, Jamaica
Dr. Daniel Coore, Dept. of Mathematics & Computer Science, UWI, Mona
Mr. Christopher Corbin, UNEP Caribbean Environmental Programme
Dr. Robin Mahon, CERMES, UWI, Cave Hill 
Prof. George A. Maul, Florida Institute of Technology
Mr. Franklin McDonald, UNEP Caribbean Environmental Programme / UNDP
Dr. Sylvia Mitchell, Biotechnology Centre, UWI, Mona 
Mr. Christopher Muir, FPAS / MITS, UWI, Mona
Prof. Edward Robinson, Marine Geology Unit, UWI, Mona / Geological Society of Jamaica
Dr. Novelette Sadler-McKnight , Dept. of Chemistry, UWI, Mona
Dr. George Warner, Centre for Marine Sciences, UWI, Mona
Dr. Margaret Wiggins-Grandison, Earthquake Unit, Dept. of Geology & Geography, UWI, Mona
Prof. Ronald Young, FPAS, UWI, Mona

The status of the Tsunami Warning System for the Caribbean was discussed at a meeting of Interest Groups from Jamaica and the Caribbean on 18th May 2005.

The meeting was convened by the 7th Biennial Conference of the Faculty of Pure & Applied Sciences (FPAS), The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, arising out the session on Natural Hazards, Disasters and Sustainable Development, sponsored by UNESCO.

Prof. George Maul gave an overview of “Development of a Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System for the Caribbean and Central West Atlantic Region”.

Based on the fact that in the last 150 years tsunami-related fatalities in the Caribbean were nearly 5 times greater than in Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. West Coast combined, it was deemed evident that, as soon as possible, a tsunami awareness and risk-reduction program, incorporating warning arrangements, should be implemented in the Caribbean.

The meeting drafted, considered and adopted the following resolution on the subject:
(a copy of which will be sent to ODPEM, CDERA, UNEP/RCU, IOCARIBE, UNESCO and other local and regional interest groups)

The 7th FPAS Conference 2005 including concerned citizens, emergency managers, educators and scientists, gathered by The University of the West Indies in Kingston, having:

Recognized that deadly Caribbean tsunamis have been and will continue to be caused by local earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and by distant seismic events;
Become acutely aware that loss of life and impact on economies in the Caribbean due to tsunamis has been significant;

Appreciated that our region’s population has grown considerably since the Virgin Islands tsunami of 1867 and will continue to grow with most of that growth concentrated near the coasts;

Noted that infrastructure and investments, including vital facilities such as public utilities and tourism-related assets, have increasingly concentrated in the coastal areas;

Noted the overwhelming potential for catastrophic loss; and having
Recognized the availability of technology that could help to mitigate such a significant toll on life and property;

Do hereby collectively petition:

1) The Academic, Research and Educational Communities to enhance the resilience and capacity of the region for early detection and effective response, by instituting appropriate education, research, networking and information sharing;

2) The Civil Society and Private Sector Leadership to ensure that community, workplace, and sectoral activities incorporate, as appropriate, measures for risk-reduction including tsunami-related risks;

3) National, Regional and International Bodies to support efforts at integrating risk-reduction, including tsunami and coastal inundation risk, into national development planning;

4) Governments to extend current natural hazard risk-reduction measures to include tsunami mitigation through integrated systems of education, warning, management and research;
And urge that these groups collaborate to provide the human, financial and institutional support required to achieve these objectives and sustainably engender a safer society.

End of Resolution