Feb 03, 2023 – BC Government News

Large-scale emergency exercise simulates Lower Mainland earthquake

The Province and Public Safety Canada are kicking off a large-scale emergency preparedness training exercise in British Columbia with a simulated alert sent to Exercise Coastal Response 2023 participants.

At 6:18 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) sent a simulated earthquake report to emergency operations centres that are participating in a Feb. 7-9 exercise responding to a simulated 6.8-magnitude earthquake that would affect the Lower Mainland.

“Many areas of British Columbia are at risk of earthquakes and it’s important that we are ready for what might come. Over the next several days, we will be conducting a large-scale multi-jurisdictional exercise to test and strengthen our emergency plans so we can help keep people and communities safe in the event of an actual earthquake,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “While the Province, the federal government and our emergency management partners work together to ensure we are always prepared to respond, individuals and families are also reminded to ensure they have emergency kits ready in their homes.”

The exercise includes nearly 200 participating organizations and begins four days into a simulated earthquake event off the coast of Richmond and Tsawwassen, involving a large population and complex infrastructure, including major bridges, ports, airports, railways and highways.

Read the full article at news.gov.bc.ca.