While many on the B.C. coast received a warning of an impending tsunami early Tuesday morning after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Pacific Basin near Kodiak, Alaska, Squamish was not included in the alert.
The National Tsunami Warning Center, through Emergency Management BC, issued a tsunami warning that many coastal areas in the province including the North Coast and Haida Gwaii; the Central Coast and Northwest Vancouver Island; the Outer West Coast of Vancouver Island from Cape Scott to Port Renfrew and the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.
Several communities, such as Port Alberni, saw residents moved to rescue centres on higher ground.
The alert was later called off as a large tsunami failed to materialize.
Emergency Management BC sent an information-only alert to the District, which is in Zone E of the province, according to staff.
As part of Zone E, Squamish would not have been at risk, the agency said.
“This message is issued for information purposes only for: Zone E - the Strait of Georgia including the Gulf Islands, Greater Vancouver and Johnstone Strait,” read the notice sent to the District at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and forwarded to The Chief.
Though Squamish wasn’t included, the District’s emergency staff will debrief over the event, according to Christina Moore, communications manager with the District.
“This is a great opportunity for our emergency team to debrief though and look at how other communities responded and ensure that our plans and alert systems are in place,” she told The Chief in an email.
“We would have deployed the Squamish Alert if necessary, and residents should be encouraged to sign up at Squamish.ca/alert.”
