VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A local seismologist says the 8.9 "mega thrust" quake that struck Japan is rare. But the Geological Survey of Canada says there is a possibility we could see a shaker of that magnitude here.
Taimi Mulder says BC should be running more exercises to prepare in case of a major earthquake. "On our coastline, these earthquakes happen every 500-800 years. The last earthquake was 500 years ago. So we are now in the time window for another large earthquake."
Mulder says the Japanese quake is very similar to the 2004 boxing day tsunami in Samatra, adding the tectonic situation is almost identical here in BC.
But a tsunami may cause more damage in Vancouver than a large earthquake in the region.
David Davey, past president of the BC Structural Engineers Association says, "Tsunamis, to my knowledge...we don't have any particular program to account for those."
He says tsunami preparedness usually falls to escape routes because there is some sort of warning. Davey adds Vancouver buildings may be protected from a large wave. "A tidal wave has to cross [Vancouver Island] before it can reach Vancouver; its energy would be spent on damage through the Juan de Fuca Straight."
But for buildings in places like Tofino, Davey tells us, "Probably not much of a change... They are rare events and the life of a building is a lot less than the frequency of a tsunami."
Vancouver to discuss Emergency Preparedness
Vancouver council will be discussing the city's emergency preparedness during Tuesday's council meeting. Councillor Suzanne Anton brought the motion forward on March 1st, after seeing the devastation in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Councillor Suzanne Anton says it's been too long since Vancouver got a major report on whether it's ready for an earthquake. "The City of Vancouver has quite a long history of working on earthquake preparedness, however the last set of major reporting to council was more than 10 years ago. It's time for a check-up and a check-in."
She says bridges, viaducts and older homes need to be examined.
The chair of the Vancouver School Board has been in touch with her step-daughter in Japan and she is safe. Patti Bacchus says there were a few terrifying hours after the earthquake hit when she couldn't get in touch with her step-daughter, but then she got an email from saying everything was ok.
She says this is a stark reminder many of Vancouver's schools are in dire need of seismic upgrades. "There are schools that are around one hundred years old. They have very little holding them together, in some cases, besides gravity and very old, dry mortar, and no reinforcement in some cases," she explains.
Back in 2005, the province committed to upgrading all of BC's schools by 2020, but Bacchus says they're way behind schedule.