The public is invited to attend two free events put on by the City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District in the lead up to Exercise Coastal Response(ECR).
Exercise Coastal Response, initiative to highlight the many components of a provincial response to a major emergency, is scheduled from June 7 to 10 in the Alberni Valley.
A public information session will be held on Tuesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre. All are welcome to come out and learn about the consequences of a major thrust earthquake and tsunami hitting the Alberni Valley.
Professionals with expert knowledge in earthquake seismology, urban search and rescue, and emergency preparedness will present information on the upcoming ECR event and the damages that could occur if a crustal earthquake hit southern Vancouver Island.
Presenters include, Alison Bird, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, Kirk Heaven, a member of Vancouver’s Heavy Urban Search and rescue task force and by members of the provincial planning and design team for the exercise.
“Exercise Coastal Response is going to be the first full‐scale earthquake and tsunami response exercise with the real‐time deployment of federal, provincial and local resources. This information session is a great opportunity to not only learn about this exciting event but also about how to prepare and protect yourself in the event a real disaster occurs,” said Russell Dyson, Chief Administrative Officer for the ACRD.
The second of the complimentary events is the Shake Zone Earthquake Simulator, which will give the public a chance to experience the ‘big one’ in the Shake Zone.
The mobile earthquake simulator, sponsored by the Insurance bureau of Canada, allows folks to safely expereince a 8.0 magnitude earthquake.
The Shake Zone will be at the Echo Centre parking lot on Tuesday, May 31 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. along with firefighters and other emergency personnel from the Alberni Valley to provide emergency preparedness information to residents.
“The Shake Zone provides a safe opportunity for people to experience what an 8.0 earthquake feels like,” said Tim Pley, Fire Chief and Acting CAO for the City of Port Alberni in a press release. “We invite the public to come down to Echo Centre, take a ride in the Shake Zone, and then think about how you and your family would manage if an earthquake struck.”
For more information visit
http://www.acrd.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=emergency‐preparedness
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