BC recently experienced an earthquake that was felt in parts of the Lower Mainland. Does this mean we should be worried about the big one sooner rather than later?
Well, yes and no, but mostly no.
Most experts have always concurred that there will eventually be a “big one” in this region. Still, there’s little evidence to suggest that this recent quake has increased the quickness that it may come.
However, it is a stark reminder that you should be prepared because when it does hit BC, like this week’s earthquake, it will come without warning.
If you’re worried that this recent quake is a precursor to something more intense, John Clague, an emeritus professor with the Department of Earth Sciences at SFU, might be the reassurance you need.
“We have a history of small earthquakes on the South Coast. This event is a timely reminder that we live in ‘earthquake country,’ but it does not immediately presage a larger damaging quake near Vancouver or Victoria,” Clague said.
There’s another side to that earth-shaking coin.
“It does not relieve stress on geologic faults that might lessen the potential for another earthquake.”
We also spoke to a geophysicist named Mika McKinnon a couple of years ago after a swarm of small earthquakes, smaller than this week’s, hit BC. She told us that those types of events were normal.
Are we ready?
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A 2014 report from the BC Auditor’s General stated that the province is not prepared for the “big one.”
The report concluded, “Emergency Management BC (EMBC) cannot demonstrate that it is adequately prepared to manage the effects of a catastrophic earthquake.”
Other experts, like Clague, don’t feel like we’re prepared enough for a big quake. According to a risk assessment from last year, a major quake in BC could cause $75 billion in financial losses.
That risk assessment stated there were gaps in our overall earthquake preparedness. Still, things have improved.
“We have made progress in strengthening critical infrastructure to reduce damage from possible future earthquakes, but we have a long way to go,” Clague said.
We’ve also made some strides in early warning systems, such as the one launched last month in partnership between the federal government and BC.
We also learned a bit from Clague in 2023 following a devastating earthquake in Turkey. He said it was “impossible to prepare for a worst-case scenario,” a reminder that there is sometimes no answer to Mother Nature’s fury. No matter how many improvements we make, a major earthquake, like a magnitude 9.0, will cause damage significant damage. But further critical infrastructure upgrades would mitigate how costly the damage would be.
Thankfully, there are 43 ways that you can prepare individually, according to this Daily Hive article.
Interestingly, we got a media release about the Great BC ShakeOut on September 24, just two days before the quake.
This year’s ShakeOut takes place on October 17 at 10:17 am, hoping it’ll help people practice dropping, covering and holding on in the event of a quake.
Long story short, there’s no cause for alarm, but the recent quake is a reminder that being prepared for a worst-case scenario is critical.