B.C. appears to be woefully unprepared for “the big one,” according to an auditor-general report released Tuesday.
In his latest report, B.C. Auditor General Russ Jones said that the province’s emergency management organization is “not adequately prepared for a catastrophic earthquake.”
Jones’ report also found the province and EMBC haven’t made earthquake preparedness a priority since the last audit was released in 1997.
“EMBC’s current operating budget for emergency activities is approximately the same as it was in 2006,” he said in a news release.
The audit called on EMBC to publicly report on its efforts to increase earthquake preparedness so British Columbians can plan for themselves accordingly.
The report also made recommendations for EMBC to conduct regular earthquake exercises and to regularly review its earthquake program to “identify significant gaps and risks to a coordinated and integrated response.”
The B.C. government responded swiftly to the report, saying it will take immediate action on all of Jones’ recommendations.
The province said EMBC is already figuring out a long-term plan for achieving the goals laid out in the report.
“A tough report offers a great opportunity,” Attorney General Suzanne Anton said in a statement. “This one in particular will help us continue to identify what work needs to be done to best prepare B.C. communities and families for a major earthquake.”
The province said in coming months it will launch an awareness campaign geared toward getting B.C. residents to properly prepare for a seismic event.
B.C. forms part of the North American portion of what is called the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a 40,000 km horseshoe of ocean trenches and volcanoes where 90 per cent of the world's earthquakes take place.
According to Natural Resources Canada, the Geological Survey of Canada records more than 1,000 earthquakes in western Canada each year. More than 100 magnitude 5 or greater earthquakes have been recorded in the ocean west of Vancouver Island in the past 70 years.
With files from The Canadian Press
