Dominican Republic to hold national earthquake evacuation drill

The Dominican Republic will conduct a national earthquake evacuation drill on Tuesday, September 8, at 10:00 a.m. The exercise involves public and private institutions, schools, and communities across the country.

A key feature of the drill is the testing of the CERBROCAP system, an instant messaging tool designed to send emergency alerts directly to mobile phones. Authorities will also activate sirens, whistles, and loudspeakers to test communication and coordination protocols.

Edwin Olivares, director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), stated that the drill aims to evaluate evacuation plans and institutional response capacities. The initiative, supported by President Luis Abinader, seeks to prevent improvisation during real seismic events. Additionally, the National Office for Seismic Evaluation and Infrastructure Vulnerability (Onesvie) has been conducting preventive inspections of buildings in sectors like Naco to identify structural weaknesses.