Early earthquake notification system passes the test in Tofino, national system set for 2024
A team of researchers on Vancouver Island had a big breakthrough after a smaller earthquake struck near the coast of Tofino last Friday.
While the earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 4.8, wasn’t strong enough to cause damage, it was strong enough for the team at Ocean Networks Canada to determine that years of research has paid off.
“The Tofino earthquake was a really nice test,” said Katen Moran, president of Ocean Networks Canada.
The University of Victoria initiative, funded by Emergency Management BC, began installing sensors on Vancouver Island in 2017.
Moran says their sensors were able to detect the primary wave on Friday, she says if it was a bigger earthquake, they would have been able to provide around 35 seconds notice.
“It worked really well,”
“We were able to detect the energy from the earthquake, calculate the arrival time, should there have been a bigger earthquake from ground shaking to arrive,” Moran said.
While that program is making progress, a national system is also in the works, with the first sensor being installed in Horseshoe Bay back in March.
“This is a very exciting technology,” said Alison Bird, a seismologist and outreach officer with Natural Resources Canada's earthquake early warning system.
The system will detect the primary wave, then an alert would be issued to people’s phones and potentially to radio and television stations, similar to an amber alert.
Bird says she’s unsure if a specific time frame would be given for when the earthquake could strike.
“Research has shown that people tend to underestimate the amount of time to do something,” she said.
However Bird says it will give individuals enough time to take basic safety precautions
“Really the best thing to do is that drop, cover, hold on,” Bird said.
She says critical infrastructure operators will get alerts sent directly to them, giving them an opportunity to trigger technologies in place.
"They can open doors, close valves, stop hazardous machinery, that sort of thing, those little things you can do within a few seconds make a big difference in reducing the potential impact of that earthquake,”
The system is expected to be ready by 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.