Campus Alert Archive
UVI

A False Tsunami Rumor Empties a Vaccination Center on St. Thomas

VIotheremergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On April 14, 2021, a 911 caller on St. Thomas reported that the ocean appeared to be receding in the Fortuna area and that a tsunami was imminent. The rumor spread to the University of the Virgin Islands campus, where a COVID-19 vaccination center was operating; National Guard members began telling people to evacuate and vaccinations were halted. The territory's emergency agency contacted NOAA and the National Weather Service, confirmed no threat, and issued an all-clear.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
University of the Virgin Islands
Territory · VI
UVI Alert / ALERT VI
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction97 chars
Possible tsunami reported. Everyone needs to evacuate the building now and move to higher ground.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed. A witness described National Guard members leaving the UVI vaccination building and telling everyone they had to evacuate; this paraphrases that verbal directive rather than quoting an official written alert. isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
The initial 'alert' here was an in-person evacuation order spreading from an unverified 911 rumor — not a formal Clery emergency notification — which is precisely what made it a false alarm.
ALL CLEARWEA/IPAWS
Approximate reconstruction158 chars
ALERT VI: There is NO tsunami warning or threat for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Reports of a tsunami are false. The all-clear is given. Resume normal activities.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear. VITEMA activated the ALERT VI system to tell residents there was no tsunami warning and declared an all-clear after verifying with NOAA and the National Weather Service.
This is a genuine all-clear: it explicitly contradicts the rumor and authorizes a return to normal activity.
Context

Background

On April 14, 2021, public-safety agencies in the U.S. Virgin Islands handled two simultaneous false alarms: a bomb threat on St. Croix and a tsunami hoax on St. Thomas. The tsunami scare began with a 2:19 PM AST 911 call from someone who believed the ocean was receding near Fortuna. The rumor reached the University of the Virgin Islands campus on St. Thomas, which was hosting a COVID-19 vaccination center; according to Virgin Islands reporting, National Guard personnel began evacuating the building and vaccinations stopped. The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) checked with NOAA and the National Weather Service, confirmed there was no tsunami, activated the ALERT VI system, and declared an all-clear. The episode illustrates how a single unverified report can ripple through a campus emergency response in a genuinely tsunami-prone territory.
Analysis

Key Findings

A 2:19 PM AST 911 report of a receding ocean on April 14, 2021 sparked a false tsunami evacuation
The rumor reached a COVID-19 vaccination center on the UVI St. Thomas campus, halting vaccinations
VITEMA verified with NOAA and the National Weather Service that no tsunami threat existed
ALERT VI was activated to issue a formal all-clear contradicting the rumor
Outcome
There was no tsunami. VITEMA verified with federal agencies that no threat existed and declared an all-clear; the vaccination clinic on the UVI campus had been disrupted but no injuries occurred.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Police Kept Busy By False Bomb Threat In St. Croix, Tsunami Hoax In St. Thomas - Virgin Islands Free Press
    vifreepress.com
  2. News
    Public safety officials respond to bomb threat and tsunami hoax - Virgin Islands Daily News
    virginislandsdailynews.com
Tags
false-alarmtsunamius-virgin-islandsterritoryst-thomascovid-vaccinationemergency-notificationUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion