Friday, March 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 tsunami that hit Port Alberni, a monumental event that somehow left everyone in its wake alive.
The surge of water, propelled by the funnel effect through narrow Alberni Inlet, grew from a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in Alaska. It reached Port Alberni just after midnight.
Cars were lifted up and buildings shifted on their foundations. Former Port Alberni mayor Ken McRae, a 19-year-old mill worker at the time, said one of the worst things was all of the logs strewn around after coming loose from their booms. 鈥淭hey were everywhere.鈥�
There was no warning system in place, but people banded together and managed to stay out of harm鈥檚 way.
鈥淣o one was killed,鈥� McRae said. 鈥淭hat was the main thing.鈥�
With the Port Alberni tsunami as a backdrop, Emergency Management sa国际传媒 has organized a 鈥渞oad show鈥� around Vancouver Island to spread the message of disaster awareness and preparation. Earthquakes and tsunamis are among the topics covered by Alison Bird, a Natural Resources sa国际传媒 seismologist, or earthquake expert, and others.
Sessions began March 11 in Oak Bay, went to Central Saanich and Sooke last week, and wind up Saturday in Zeballos.
A Thursday session in Port Alberni will include a remembrance of the 1964 tsunami, and the city will also have a number of other gatherings to mark the occasion.
Eleven presentations in all will be made in Island communities. Forums were held on sa国际传媒鈥檚 north coast last November and on Haida Gwaii last month.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just really keen on getting people aware of the hazards 鈥� the earthquake, the tsunami 鈥� how to respond, how to prepare,鈥� said Bird, who works out of the Natural Resources sa国际传媒 facility in North Saanich.
Preparing for a disaster begins with individual knowledge, she said.
鈥淭hat is probably the most important part because it really does come down to the individual. There certainly aren鈥檛 enough government resources even if you bring all the different levels of government together in order to help everyone after an event.鈥�
But there is certainly strength in numbers. Bird has an emergency plan with a neighbour so they can combine resources.
鈥淭hat sort of thing goes a long way,鈥� she said.
Bird said that being ready for a disaster comes with the territory in her line of work.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I could do what I do and not be prepared,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be able to feel confident in my life in general, knowing what I know. I think of earthquakes and tsunamis every day.鈥�
Bird is part of a team that processes earthquake data for western sa国际传媒.
鈥淲e usually locate about 4,000 every year of varying magnitude. But the number of earthquakes being recorded has gone up dramatically over the last two years just because of the number of aftershocks from the 2012 event.鈥�
That quake had a magnitude of 7.7 and was centred off the coast of sa国际传媒 in Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. The resulting tsunami was the largest one in the world that year, Bird said.
鈥淚t was a very focused tsunami, so it certainly hit the west coast of Moresby Island [in Haida Gwaii] and it hit part of Hawaii.鈥�
People in Hawaii fled to higher ground, but the tsunami had little effect.
Bird noted that Natural Resources sa国际传媒 is working with the University of Victoria-based NEPTUNE project 鈥� an extensive subsurface array of cables that collects ocean data 鈥� to develop an early-warning system for tsunamis.
鈥淲e鈥檙e players in that, one of the stakeholders,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very exciting initiative.鈥�
Bird said preparing for an emergency involves basic messages that always bear repeating.
鈥淚 do start to feel a bit of a nag,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 only because I鈥檓 so eager that people are aware of the hazards, that they do prepare for them and they do respond properly.鈥�
Tried-and-true advice is often the best, Bird said.
鈥淔or earthquakes, it鈥檚 鈥榙rop, cover and hold on.鈥� We can鈥檛 stress enough. Really, it鈥檚 the best thing to do,鈥� she said.
鈥淎nd then when the shaking stops and you know things are settled, if you鈥檙e in an area that is at risk [for a tsunami], then get to higher ground.鈥�
That includes the Victoria area, as well as the open coastline around Sooke and Port Renfrew.
