Leroy Fearon | What Jamaica’s recent tremors mean for earthquake preparedness

In recent weeks, Jamaicans across the island have felt the unmistakable reminder that we live on restless ground. The tremors were brief, and in most cases harmless, but they were enough to send people rushing outdoors, scanning walls for cracks, and turning to social media for answers.

For a country with a long seismic history, the experience has reignited an old question: are we truly prepared for a major earthquake?

Earthquake Awareness Week arrives this year not as a routine observance, but as a timely intervention. The recent shaking has transformed earthquakes from an abstract hazard into a lived experience, especially for a younger generation that has never witnessed a major seismic event.

A FAMILIAR DANGER, A FADING MEMORY

Jamaica’s location along the Caribbean Plate makes earthquakes an unavoidable reality. History offers sobering reminders, from the devastating 1907 Kingston earthquake to subsequent events that reshaped how the nation thinks about building safety and disaster response. Yet, over time, collective memory fades. Preparedness gives way to complacency – until the earth moves again.

The recent tremors have exposed how fragile that preparedness may be. Many people were unsure whether to stay indoors or run outside. Parents questioned whether schools should dismiss students. Others relied on unofficial online sources for information, often amplifying fear rather than facts.

PREPAREDNESS BEYOND PANIC

Disaster experts agree that panic causes more injuries than earthquakes themselves. The most basic and effective safety advice; drop, cover, and hold on, is still not universally known or practiced.

In schools, workplaces, and homes, drills are sporadic, and emergency plans are often informal or outdated. This raises an uncomfortable reality: awareness campaigns are frequent, but readiness is uneven. Knowing that earthquakes can happen is not the same as knowing what to do when one does.

SCHOOLS AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AT RISK

Schools remain a critical concern. Classrooms filled with students, heavy furniture, and glass windows can quickly become hazardous if protocols are unclear. While many institutions conduct fire drills, earthquake drills are less consistent, leaving children dependent on instinct rather than training.

Beyond schools, structural inequality plays a significant role. Well-engineered buildings offer far more protection than informal housing or aging infrastructure. Earthquake preparedness, therefore, is not just a technical issue, it is a social one. Those with the least resources often face the greatest risk.

TURNING TREMORS INTO TRAINING

Earthquake Awareness Week offers Jamaica an opportunity to move beyond symbolic messaging. It calls for practical education, regular drills, clear communication from authorities, and community-level planning. It also demands honest conversations about building standards, retrofitting, and public trust in emergency systems.

The recent tremors were not destructive, but they were instructive. They reminded us that earthquakes do not announce themselves, and preparedness cannot wait until disaster strikes.

Jamaica cannot prevent the ground from shaking. What it can do is ensure that when it does, fear is replaced with knowledge, confusion with clarity, and vulnerability with resilience. In that sense, Earthquake Awareness Week is not about what might happen – it is about what we choose to do now.

- Leroy Fearon Jr, J.P, M.Sc., is a lecturer, multi-disciplinary researcher, author, geography specialist, columnist, Governor General's Achievement Awardee '24, and Governor General I Believe Initiative (IBI) Ambassador '24. Email feedback to leroyfearon85@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com