Global media regularly brings us news about catastrophes, but the ones that truly grab our attention are the ones that might affect us the most.
For instance, a devastating earthquake in Japan that made people nervous last week all along the B.C. coast.
Even the most-threatened west coast of Vancouver Island felt a swell of less than a metre, but apprehension was high.
Many of us recall the cataclysmic Alaskan quake of 1964, which spawned a tsunami that caused enormous damage in Port Alberni.
Almost 50 years later, signs in tsunami-prone areas of the Island’s west coast direct people to high ground when necessary, disconcerting tourists, but acting as silent reminders of a very real danger.
Those signs, came in handy last week, and will inevitably be needed again.
This is not something we want to ponder on a daily basis, but all the Earth’s land and oceans sit on giant plates that float on molten magma. The plates move, sliding under and over each other.
They catch on each other and are relatively stationary for long periods of time. But immense energy builds and is released when the plates move suddenly, causing earthquakes and tsunamis above.
B.C. — and obviously Japan — are part of the Ring of Fire, a giant seismically active region that encircles the Pacific Ocean.
The Cascadia megathrust on the B.C. coast in 1700 was one of the strongest quakes in world history. Canada’s largest since then was a magnitude 8.1 jolt on the Queen Charlotte Fault in 1949. Of more concern to us is a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in 1946 whose epicentre was just west of Courtenay.
We can’t live in fear, but we must be prepared for the next Big One.
At least, assemble a home emergency kit with enough non-perishable food and water to last three days. Include prescription medicines, a first aid kit, whistle, a portable radio and flashlight with extra batteries, tools and a waterproof container with matches and money.
Then pray you never have to use it.
editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com
