VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver’s mayor is using Saturday night’s earthquake as an occasion to assess the city’s earthquake readiness.

Gregor Robertson admits the city is relying on federal and provincial funding to maximize preparedness.

The mayor mentions the city’s heavy urban search and rescue team as a significant tool to deal with disasters.

But federal funding for that program has been chopped.

“This really highlights how important that funding is. When the chips are down, we need our heavy urban search and rescue team to be ready. We’ve invested in it a lot over the years, and have had a good partnership, but this is a real concern.”

But he points out ultimately it’s the city’s job to lead efforts after a disaster.

“It is a reality that local governments are going to have to deal with. We are on the front lines with our police, our emergency services, and our fire department. We have to be ready, there’s no question. It’s obviously very helpful to have the province coordinating on the higher level.”

He says many buildings in the city need to get seismically upgraded, including 50 schools, which he points out is a provincial jurisdiction.

Be prepared

Now that an earthquake is making news in BC, it’s a good time to make those earthquake plans and kits that you’ve been putting off.

“Now is the time to prepare. You need to get your plans in place before the earthquake happens. Once we’ve been hit by the earthquake it’s too late. It’s really important to get all of this in place now,” says Vancouver emergency planner Jackie Kloosterboer. “After an earthquake you will be on your own for several days.”

And if you’re confident about your preparedness, she says you should consider volunteering for the city’s emergency social services, who’ll be manning the emergency reception centres.