Seismologists say the earthquake that startled thousands of people on B.C.’s South Coast overnight is an excellent reminder for families to prepare for the potential catastrophe of The Big One.
Tuesday night’s quake, which rattled homes for about 10 seconds, was only magnitude 4.3, which makes it a tiny temblor compared to others that have hit the region in the past.
“Compared to these larger earthquakes, last night was just a tiny drop in the bucket,” said John Cassidy from Natural Resources Canada.
But the shaker should still serve as a wake-up call about the need to be prepared, Cassidy added.
“We do live in a very active region, [with] small earthquakes every single day,” he said.
A plan released by the province’s Emergency Management branch earlier this year estimated a shallow 7.3-magnitude earthquake underneath Vancouver would kill roughly 10,000 people and injure another 128,000.
Nearly one-in-five buildings would also sustain extensive damage, according to the estimate.
Given how tied up emergency resources would in a worst-case scenario such as that, officials strongly urge the public to plan to take care of themselves for the first 72 hours, at least.
Some of the government’s advice includes that families have a plan for where to meet and how to contact one another in the wake of a disaster.
People should also have an emergency kit ready with at least two litres of water per person, per day, food that won’t spoil such as canned goods and energy bars, a crank or battery-powered flashlight, a first aid kit and other items.
Pet-owners have to remember to have food and any necessary medicine on hand as well.
Jackie Kloosterboer, emergency planning coordinator for the City of Vancouver, said it’s also a good idea for people to tour their homes and find the safest places to wait out a quake.
“Go through each room of your house and determine what you would do in that room – drop, cover and hold on,” Kloosterboer said.
“The time to do it is now. Once the earthquake hits it’s going to be too late.”
When it comes to smaller earthquakes like the one that hit Tuesday night, one thing people should definitely not do is abuse 911.
E-Comm, B.C.’s largest emergency dispatch centre, said it received nearly 250 calls within just 15 minutes of the earthquake, and most callers were just asking for information.
“I can’t over-emphasize how important it is not to call 911 unless you have a true emergency,” said E-Comm spokeswoman Jody Robertson.
“How we define that here is that immediate action from police, fire or ambulance is required because someone’s health, their safety or property is in significant jeopardy or there’s a crime in progress.”
For more information on how to prepare for a serious earthquake or another disaster, visit the PreparedBC website.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Julie Nolin
