B.C. prepares for natural disasters as national emergency alert system tested

Phones, radios and TVs across B.C. were lit up with an emergency alert Wednesday as part of a nationwide test.

British Columbians got a buzz in their pockets just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Canada’s emergency public alerting system, Alert Ready, triggered a nationwide test on most screens, radio and cellphones.

The province says that to initiate an alert, a list of criteria must be met. There must be a threat to human life, the threat must be immediate, and there must be recommended actions that may save lives.

Depending on the emergency, different agencies – such as the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Resilience – can send alerts.

The minister, Kelly Greene, told CTV News on Wednesday that the ministry can send alerts for events such as high-risk flood and wildfire evacuations, extreme heat emergencies, and tsunami warnings.

Other emergencies – such as Amber Alerts and warnings about dangerous criminals – are alerted by the RCMP.

“Getting that urgent information to people is really important, and helping them make decisions and stay safer in times of emergencies,” said Greene via Zoom.

In recent months, earthquakes have shaken homes and the ground beneath many British Columbians.

Although the recent quakes have been relatively small, there remains an underlying fear that the “big one” could strike at any time.

Dr. Carlos Ventura, director of UBC‘s Earthquake Engineering Research Facility, explained that plenty of progress has been made in preparing for a potential large earthquake striking the West Coast, including updating building codes and alert systems.

“We have come a long way in that sense, but still there is room for improvement,” said Ventura.

He says ensuring buildings, bridges, and highways are up to code is crucial to minimize potential damage.

The threat of earthquakes also comes with the risk of devastating tsunamis.

Brett Gilley, an associate professor and expert in natural disasters at UBC, explained on Wednesday that preparing for a tsunami is challenging.

Previous disastrous events – such as the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, which killed more than 230,000 people and impacted millions more – have provided insights that inform preparations in B.C. and around the world.

“We have a lot of good early warning systems. We’re connected into a lot of systems in the Pacific,” said Gilley. “We keep an eye specifically on the people on the outside coast for the big scenarios that could come anywhere from the Pacific.”

CTV News asked Gilley how much time people on Vancouver Island would have to escape in the case of a large tsunami, and he said the answer varies depending on the location of the initial earthquake.

If the quake happened on the other side of the Pacific Ocean from B.C.’s coast, he believes residents would have more than an hour to get away, but if it happened nearby, it would be a matter of minutes.