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Codrington, Barbuda, September 24, 2026 — Barbuda has officially received Tsunami Ready recognition, marking an important milestone in the island’s ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness, early warning and community resilience.

A Tsunami Ready Certification Ceremony was held on Wednesday at the Barbuda Community Center, bringing together national and local disaster management officials, international tsunami experts, education representatives and community leadership.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Hon. Kiz Johnson, Minister within the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, highlighted the importance of collaboration between the Barbuda Council, the National Office of Disaster Services, the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services, the education sector, community stakeholders and international technical partners in achieving the recognition.

Remarks were also given by the Hon. Trevor Walker, Parliamentary representative for Barbuda, who highlighted the benefits of the process of Barbuda becoming tsunami ready.

Chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Caribbean Tsunami Information Center, Ms. Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade, thanked Barbuda for the exceptional
support given by the local authorities, and noted the community involvement in achieving tsunami ready certification.

Director of the National Office of Disaster Services, Sherrod James, also spoke to the need for Barbuda to continue the work of preparedness, and to always be in a state of readiness for
hazards such as tsunamis.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of a video of students from the Holy Trinity Primary and Sir McChesney George Secondary schools participating in and explaining the process to prepare for a tsunami. This video is intended to be displayed in other regional and international forums.

The Tsunami Ready initiative forms part of wider regional efforts coordinated through the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Intergovernmental
Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS).

Antigua and Barbuda’s capital, St. John’s, along with the districts of St. John’s City West and St. John’s City South received Tsunami Ready recognition in 2020, with other communities around Antigua and Barbuda expected to also seek tsunami ready recognition in the future.