Recognized as one of the largest tsunami simulation exercises in the world, CARIBE WAVE 2026 offered countries a choice between two high-impact hypothetical scenarios:
- “Cayman Islands”: a tsunami triggered by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, modeled after the 8 February 2025 event.
- “Kick ’em Jenny”: a tsunami generated by a flank collapse of the Kick ’em Jenny submarine volcano.
CARIBE WAVE is a flagship activity of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE EWS) of the IOC of UNESCO, with domestic support from the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP). Coordination was led by the CARIBE WAVE Task Team with support from NOAA’s International Tsunami Information Center Caribbean Office (ITIC-CAR), the Caribbean Tsunami Information Center (CTIC), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), and the Central America Tsunami Advisory Center (CATAC).
Strengthening Preparedness Through Realistic Testing
The exercise tested critical communication chains and national tsunami response procedures, contributing directly to the IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme, which requires communities to conduct regular tsunami drills.
In the lead-up to the event, multilingual webinars in English, French, and Spanish provided guidance on the scenarios, tsunami products, and communication systems. Additional sessions focused on GEONETCast Americas, followed by a post-exercise hotwash and evaluation survey to refine future exercises.
During the simulation, PTWC and CATAC issued a start-of-exercise message through standard broadcast channels, followed by simulated tsunami bulletins sent to Tsunami Warning Focal Points and National Tsunami Warning Centers. PTWC released 12 messages across both scenarios, while CATAC issued 11 messages for the Cayman scenario. For Kick ’em Jenny, PTWC’s products were based on VONUT messages from the UWI Seismic Research Centre, which monitors the volcano.
A Region Mobilized
Participants engaged in a wide range of preparedness activities—from emergency management drills and community events to tsunami lectures, disaster plan updates, tabletop exercises, and educational screenings. According to TsunamiZone.org, the largest participation came from K–12 schools and districts, local governments, and preparedness organizations. Social media played a major role in amplifying the exercise across the region.
Looking Ahead
Resources, guides, and reports for past and future exercises are available at caribewave.org, and planning is already underway for CARIBE WAVE 2027.
Participant numbers reflect registrations as of 8 April 2026, at tsunamizone.org . Final official totals will be based on Member State reporting during the post-exercise evaluation.
READ MORE: https://www.ioc.unesco.org/en/carib/articlese-wave-2026
