A Terra Treme exercise

Within the scope of the national exercise A Terra Treme, organized annually by the Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), which aims to alert and sensitize the population on how to act before, during and after an earthquake, several actions were carried out at the Hydrographic Institute (IH ) as, the disclosure to all personnel of the preventive and emergency procedures to be adopted in the event of an earthquake and an earthquake simulacrum followed by a tsunami in the Hydrographic Base (BH) of this Institute, the area most exposed to this risk.

This year, the national exercise included the practice of three simple gestures that can make a difference to those who practice them in the event of an earthquake: GET DOWN, PROTECT, WAIT.

In the case of the simulacrum in BH, the respective Internal Emergency Plan was activated in view of the emergency of an earthquake followed by a tsunami, with the activation of the evacuation teams.

This simulation allowed training in the procedures for this type of emergency, in particular in terms of self-protection and evacuation. The general evaluation was positive, with the personnel acting in a committed and serious manner, highlighting the orderly evacuation to the meeting point in Belo Horizonte, next to the Heliport.

It is important to mention that the practice of these exercises helps to identify improvements in order to strengthen the capacity of the IH, in particular and this time in BH, to act in an appropriate manner in the event of a real emergency.