VANCOUVER—Sirens and officials banging on doors roused people from their sleep in the middle of the night Tuesday in British Columbia as a tsunami warning was issued along a large swath of the province’s coastline after a powerful earthquake off Alaska’s coast. The warning was lifted about three hours later, ending a tense period for some as they made their way to safety on higher ground. “I just heard the fire trucks going around, honking their horns and on the loud speaker saying there is a tsunami warning,” said Gillian Der, a University of British Columbia geography student who is studying in Queen Charlotte on Haida Gwaii. “It was very apocalyptic. So I was just running up the street to the muster station, up the big hill.” Josie Osborne, the mayor of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, was ready in a few minutes to leave her home after getting a warning text but said she pondered what shoes to wear in case she wouldn’t ever be back. When the warning was lifted it “was a great sense of relief. You prepare for the worst and you hope for the best and that’s what happened,” she said.
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The quake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck at about 1:30 a.m. Pacific time. It was centred 278 kilometres southeast of Kodiak in the Gulf of Alaska at a depth of about 10 kilometres.
Jan Knutson, left, and her husband Ed Hutchinson, centre, and a man at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday wait for the all-clear at Homer High School during a tsunami alert for Homer, Alaska. The quake struck 278 kilometres southeast of Kodiak at a depth of about 10 kilometres. ( Michael Armstrong / The Associated Press )
Earth sciences Prof. Brent Ward of Simon Fraser University said the tremblor didn’t produce a tsunami because it was a strike-slip earthquake, where the plates slip sideways past each other. “To get a tsunami, you have to have vertical movement of the sea floor and that more often occurs in what we call a thrust fault ... where one of the plates is moving over top of the other.”
Ward said when a plate moves up very quickly, that displaces the water above it, setting off a tsunami. “It looks as though this earthquake was triggered on what we would call a transcurrent fault in the oceanic plate that is going underneath North America,” he said.
Tsunami travel times as illustrated by the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center. ( NWS Tsunami Alerts / Twitter )
The U.S. Geological Survey said dozens of aftershocks have been recorded ranging in magnitude from 3.3 to 6.9. It says large earthquakes are common in the region and over the previous century 11 other quakes of magnitude seven or greater have occurred within 600 kilometres of Tuesday’s event. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said several B.C. communities activated their emergency plans and evacuated those at risk as the provincial emergency co-ordination centre and five regional operations centres were also mobilized. In low-lying areas of Victoria and Esquimalt, officials went door-to-door telling people to evacuate, while elsewhere sirens and text alerts were used to get the warning out, he said in an interview. An alert was still in place hours after the initial warning, which means there may be higher wave action in low-lying areas along the coast, Farnworth said.
This screenshot shows alerts for a tsunami watch early Tuesday after the earthquake prompted a tsunami warning for a large swath of Alaska's coast. Officials cancelled the warning after a few tense hours after waves failed to show up in coastal Alaska communities. ( The Associated Press )
“Although the tsunami warning was eventually suspended, this event demonstrates that coast warning systems do work.” Patricia Leidl, communications director with Emergency Preparedness BC, said there was a three centimetre wave and a 15 centimetre rise in sea level hours after the quake at Tofino. The tsunami warning covered B.C.’s north coast, Haida Gwaii, the west coast of Vancouver Island, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, and along the Juan de Fuca Strait. The last devastating tsunami to hit B.C. was 54 years ago in Port Alberni after a 9.2 earthquake off Alaska. Two waves gathered force as they raced up the funnel-like Alberni Inlet in March 1964, hitting the city with forces that swept away houses and vehicles, but caused no deaths.
The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska. ( Michael Armstrong / The Associated Press )
Scientists in Japan, and Vancouver Island First Nations, have gathered accounts of a huge earthquake and tsunami in January 1700 that wiped out communities and killed thousands of people. A wave the height of a four-storey building hit the east coast of Japan nine hours after the original earthquake off the B.C. coast. People in Alaska received warnings Tuesday from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones that said: “Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland.” The fire chief of a city in Alaska that is popular with cruise ships said there was no panic as residents reacted to the tsunami warning. Seward fire Chief Eddie Athey praised his community for doing “the right thing,” calling it “a controlled evacuation” as people left for higher ground or drove along the only road out of the city.
RECAP: B.C., Alaska under tsunami warning early Tuesday
Athey told the Associated Press the quake was gentle, and that it “felt like the washer was off balance.” The quake lasted for up to 90 seconds, long enough that he thought, “Boy, I hope this stops soon because it’s just getting worse.” The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska, but it also had no immediate reports of damage. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of kilometres away, in Anchorage.
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Tuesday’s short-lived tsunami warning was the closest thing to an emergency response practice without actually being a practice for many B.C. coastal communities.
A tsunami warning for the coastal areas of B.C. has been cancelled after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Alaska. The warning was issued early Tuesday, shortly after 1:30 a.m. However, at 4:30 a.m., an urgent message from Emergency Management B.C. said all warnings for coastal B.C. had been cancelled.
“We were fortunate … in that it wasn’t a tsunami-producing earthquake, but they didn’t know that when the earthquake occurred,” said Simon Fraser University’s John Clague of the many coastal residents who were awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of a siren blaring and responded accordingly. “You have to assume that any earthquake of that size beneath the ocean can produce a tsunami.”
The earth-sciences professor and quake expert said the event was, in the end, “a very useful exercise” for communities and local and provincial governments to ensure action was timely and responses went according to established emergency plans.
“It seemed like there was an appropriate response at the community level,” said Clague. “It was a far better response than the last incident after the Haida Gwaii earthquake.”
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In October 2012, a magnitude 7.8 quake hit near Haida Gwaii, its epicentre at Moresby Island. It’s among the largest temblors recorded in Canada. During that event, B.C. officials were criticized for the delayed response and breakdown in communication with some coastal communities.
“A lot of the communities felt that they were just not properly notified and I don’t think you’re hearing that response from local communities now, so I think we’ve learned something, but we still have a long ways to go,” he said.
Port Alberni Mayor Mike Ruttan said his staff and local residents responded as expected in a situation like a possible tsunami.
“I was really proud of the way people responded. When the alarms went off, literally thousands of people got themselves organized and out the door and headed for high ground and safety,” said Ruttan. “Those that had the grab-and-go bags — grabbed them and away they went.”
Ruttan acknowledged there is still room for improvement in terms of communication and that there has been serious consideration into buying technology that allows local authorities to send out a warning text message to all smartphone devices within a specific radius, such as what’s available over in Ucluelet.
“In a situation like this, it can be quite useful,” he said.
Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne said early Tuesday she was amazed at how well residents mobilized to get to the evacuation centre. Just after the quake hit, she got a text alert and heard the beach sirens, which Osborne said sounded within five minutes of the tsunami warning.
“Everything was so smooth. So many people at the evacuation centre said that the first thing they heard was the sirens,” she said.
Good to see more and more people here at @TofinoEmergency muster centre. Goal is 100% of town AND GUESTS. Spread the word and follow the evacuation routes, first wave is due at 03:40! #Tofino #Tsunami pic.twitter.com/fTcF03KsNA — Catherine Lempke (@Cat_Lempke) January 23, 2018
She said the centre was packed with up to 400 people, most of whom were either visiting Tofino, which is one of B.C.’s most popular tourist destinations, or residents living near the beach.
“Everyone was so calm,” she said. “The staff at the resorts went into high gear and people got into their cars and came into town. There were a lot of tourists and residents, and dozens of dogs, which was nice to see.”
The last tsunami warning in Tofino was five years ago, and Osborne said they have learned a lot since then. Tofino now performs tsunami drills once a year, and monthly emergency-preparedness events, like taking residents on “high-ground hikes,” to show them where they need to get to to escape a tsunami.
She said after the alert came in that the tsunami warning had been cancelled, people cheered and everyone went home.
Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s minister of public safety, issued a statement early Tuesday, noting that the event “demonstrates that coast warning systems do work.”
“Overnight, several communities along the coast activated their emergency plans and evacuated those at risk,” the statement read.
“Emergency Management B.C. activated the Provincial Emergency Co-ordination Centre, and five provincial regional operations centres. The agency also supported local governments to evacuate residents.”
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–With files from Tiffany Crawford and The Canadian Press
Here’s how B.C.’s emergency system works:
• The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Centre monitors for possible tsunami threats.
• If a possible threat is identified, the centre will notify Emergency Management B.C. immediately.
• The EMBC, which is a provincial agency, then activates the Provincial Emergency Notification System that forwards information to local communities and agencies on the alert level for each of B.C.’s five tsunami zones.
• Local emergency plans are then implemented by each municipality or area as required.
• In communities where a tsunami is expected, local authorities may notify residents of an emergency through the use of an outdoor siren, while others may employ a phone fan-out, door-to-door or loud-hailer system. Residents should then listen to their radio for updates.
• Meanwhile, emergency warnings are broadcast by TV, radio, phone, text message, door-to-door contact, social media, weather radios or outdoor sirens.
How can I get instant updates about possible emergency situations?
• The U.S. Tsunami Warning System uses its Twitter feed to share tsunami info statements on events registering above magnitude 6.5, regardless of whether a tsunami warning has been issued or not. Cellphone users can subscribe to receive these info statements by texting ‘follow NWS_NTWC’ to 40404. The same information can also be subscribed to via email.
• Other Twitter accounts you can follow for updates in case of an emergency include Emergency Info B.C., Earthquakes Canada and the U.S. Geological Survey.
• The provincial government is also developing a text-message-based system called AlertReady that will automatically send an alert to all cellphone users in a certain area, regardless of whether you’re subscribed to the alerts or not, in the case of a large-scale emergency. That system is expected to be ready in the spring.
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Huge earthquake Tsunami warning
Tsunami warnings have been put in place across British Columbia following a magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Alaska.
A wave of 32ft (10metres) is said to have been measured by a buoy close to the epicentre of the quake which hit in the Gulf of Alaska, 175 miles southeast of Kodiak.
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Tsunami warnings are now in place in Alaska and parts of Canada, whilst a tsunami watch is in effect in California, Oregon and Washington.
Map issued by Environment Canada showing tsunami warning areas (Picture: Environment Canada)
Environment Canada has issued tsunami warnings for the following areas in British Columbia:
Central Coast – both coastal and inland sections
Greater Victoria
Haida Gwaii
Vancouver Island – Inland/North/West
North Coast – both coastal and inland sections
They state that: ‘If you are in a coastal area that is at risk, you should move to high ground now and heed further instruction from local authorities.’
Location of the earthquake in the GUlf of Alaska (Picture: EPA/USGS)
Vancouver Island areas where tsunami warning is in effect
Zone B – the Central Coast and Northeast Vancouver Island coast including Kitimat Bella Coola and Port Hardy
Zone C – the Outer West Coast of Vancouver Island from Cape Scott to Port Renfrew
Zone D – the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria including the Saanich Peninsula
For the latest information and advice, visit Environment Canada.
MORE: Huge wave measuring 32ft tracked close to epicentre of Alaska earthquake
MORE: Where will the Alaska earthquake hit and at what time?
A tsunami warning issued for coastal British Columbia and Alaska was cancelled Tuesday morning after people living along the province’s coast evacuated to higher ground after a powerful earthquake struck off Alaska.
Residents along the province’s coast were woken by warning sirens shortly after the quake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck at about 1:30 a.m. Pacific time. The quake struck 278 kilometres southeast of Kodiak, Alaska at a depth of about 10 kilometres.
Officials at the National Tsunami Center cancelled the warning after a few tense hours after waves failed to show up in coastal Alaska communities. No serious damage had been reported.
Patricia Leidl, communications director with Emergency Preparedness BC, said there was a three centimetre wave and a 15 centimetre rise in sea level hours after the quake at Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
“I think this exercise demonstrates that tsunami warning systems do work and, just to reiterate, that it’s absolutely critical that those living in vulnerable and coastal areas do respond to these warnings and listen to their local officials should such an event occur,” she said.
The tsunami warning covered the Juan de Fuca Strait coast, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, and the north coast and Haida Gwaii. People were told to evacuate inland or to higher ground, or move to an upper floor of a multi-story building, depending on individual situations.
Dan Banks, a public works employee in Tofino, said residents in low-lying areas, including resorts on along the beach, were told to go to higher ground.
“It’s tsunami protocol, everybody is going to high ground and evacuating the low-areas like they are supposed to,” he said, adding people also gathered at a community hall.
#Tsunami Warning previously issued for coastal areas of #BC has been CANCELLED. Continue to listen to instructions from local officials until the ALL CLEAR has been issued in your community. — Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) January 23, 2018
Initially, the USGS said the earthquake was a magnitude 8.2. That prompted the tsunami warning for coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia, while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch.
An advisory remained in effect for a small part of the state. Watches were cancelled for Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Officials in Japan also said there was no tsunami threat there.
Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: “Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland.”
Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. Residents scrambled to safety, and some sought refuge in schools that were transformed into shelters.
The city of Kodiak was projected to see the first wave about an hour after the quake, but 90 minutes after the quake, there was no report of any waves.
Lt. Tim Putney of the Kodiak Police Department said: “We haven’t seen anything yet or had any reports of a wave.”
However, officials told people to hold fast at evacuation centres until further notice. He said the town has several shelters above the 100-foot mark, and they were still encouraging people below that level to evacuate.
The earthquake woke Putney out of a dead sleep, and he estimates it shook for at least 30 seconds.
“I’ve been Kodiak for 19 years that was the strongest, longest lasting one I’ve ever felt,” he said by telephone.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said on his Twitter feed that he has been in contact with local officials and the state’s adjutant general, and he urged residents to heed any warnings to move inland or to higher ground.
The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska, but it also had no immediate reports of damage. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage.
Kerry Seifert, an emergency management specialist in the state emergency operations centre, said the centre had not received any reports of damage as the timeline for initial waves reaching some communities had passed.
“This is almost too soon to be into it to get that kind of information,” he said. “And certainly, communities are climbing hills, some of them.”
Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school.
He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates.
He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning.
Keith Perkins, who lives in the southeast Alaska community of Sitka, arrived at the high school early Tuesday morning, after an alarm on his cellphone alerted him of the tsunami warning. He says the city’s sirens also went off later.
He said people on Facebook were chattering back and forth about whether this was real or not and what they should do.
Given the magnitude of the earthquake, Perkins said he thought it best to head to school, the tsunami evacuation point, even though in the past he felt his home was at a “high-enough spot.”
“I figured I’d probably just better play it safe,” he said.
He said police officers were directing traffic and the parking lot at the school was filling up. He said he saw some people carrying suitcases or backpacks. Perkins said he didn’t bring anything along.
