International Recognition for Belize City’s Tsunami Readiness

Water can be beautiful, but it can also be deadly. And when it comes in the form of a tsunami, the destruction can be unimaginable. Belize has been placed under tsunami warnings three times since 2009, raising the question: how prepared are we if one ever reaches our coast? Today, Belize City earned international recognition for taking major steps to protect the country’s largest municipality from that threat. News Five’s Shane Williams reports.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

A tsunami can cross the ocean at terrifying speed, giving coastal communities little time to move out of harm’s way. Belize has never faced that kind of devastation in modern history, but experts warn the danger is real enough that preparation cannot wait. Today, Belize City became the first community in the country to earn UNESCO’s Tsunami Ready designation, a recognition that confirms the city has met strict international standards for preparedness, warning systems, evacuation planning and public education. The journey to achieving that status has been years in the making.

 

Christa Von Hillebrandt-Andrade, Manager, International Tsunami Information Center

“It started in 2018, 2019. We were all excited. We had a workshop here. We did the first modeling. The evacuation map was done. But then things fizzled out. We didn’t – now that wasn’t enough to become tsunami ready. We needed to get this evacuation map approved. There had to be – we need to put up signage. We had to educate the people. We needed to have a national protocol, a local protocol and things just weren’t happening, and our funding was gonna be lost, US funding. So Belize – So we decided then, we turned our efforts to another country and their community became tsunami ready. But in two thousand twenty-twenty-four the government of Belize came back to NOAA and the National Weather Service, and they said we’re ready. We really realized that we need to get prepared.”

 

That renewed commitment set in motion months of collaboration between the National Emergency Management Organization, international partners, and local stakeholders. For Minister responsible for NEMO, Henry Charles Usher, the recognition comes as a reminder that preparedness cannot wait until disaster strikes.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister, Disaster Risk Management

“The last warning we got for a tsunami was in 2025. Luckily, we did not see any. I remember the one vividly in 2018 when we also got a tsunami warning. It’s something that happens more frequently in the Pacific, but it’s not, it can never happen here in the Caribbean. It does happen at times, so I think it’s important that we stay ready. We have a lot of experience and awareness when it comes to hurricanes but we don’t have as many instances of being aware of earthquakes or tsunamis. So it’s something that is good that we get this type of education.”

 

The United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, played a key role in helping Belize reach the milestone. U.S. Charge d’Affaires Rhonda Slusher says the designation represents far more than a ceremonial title.

 

Rhonda Slusher, Charge d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy

“Just this year, our NOAA team sat down with NEMO to do the unglamorous work, the work that doesn’t get public recognition. They stress-tested evacuation plans. They refined inundation maps and as Krista said, there was a long list of other activities that took place that no one noticed. The essential work that saves lives when minutes matter. Because of that work, your work, Belize City has earned the UNESCO IOC Tsunami Ready recognition. We intend to show up. But none of this works without you. We can bring resources and expertise, but effective partnership requires a mutual investment, and you brought it. You brought the genuine commitment and effort required for success.”

 

Tsunamis may sound like disasters that happen far from home, but history tells a different story. The Caribbean has recorded more than seventy-five documented tsunamis, a reminder that while the threat is rare, coastal countries like Belize cannot afford to ignore it. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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