BC to install earthquake warning sensors to give life-saving notice

VICTORIA – As many as 50 earthquake early warning sensors are being installed around British Columbia as part of a larger plan to protect people and infrastructure in the event of a major earthquake.

The sensors will be connected to the National Earthquake Early Warning System which is expected to be operational by 2024.

A joint announcement by the federal and provincial government today says the sensors will give seconds, or possibly dozens of seconds, of warning before the strongest shaking arrives, helping to reduce injuries, deaths and property loss.

Bowen Ma, BC Minister of Emergency Management, said in a statement that an early warning system is critical to helping the province’s residents mitigate the effects of the seismic event.

When the system is fully operational next year, more than 10 million Canadians living in the country’s most earthquake-prone areas will receive early warning alerts, giving them precious seconds to hide.

There are more than 5,000 earthquakes in Canada each year, mostly along the coast of British Columbia, although about 20 percent of earthquakes occur along the St. Lawrence River and the Ottawa River valleys.

On January 26, 1700, an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale struck the west coast of North America, causing a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean and striking Japan.

If a similar earthquake occurs while the early warning system is in operation, the statement says, it could give up to four minutes’ warning before it starts to strongest shake in coastal communities in British Columbia.

It says the system can also be used to automatically move trains to slow down, stop traffic from driving over bridges or into tunnels, divert air traffic, automatically close gas valves, and open fire and ambulance doors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 26, 2023.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said that the earthquake warning system is expected to be operational in 2023. In fact, it is expected to be operational in 2024.

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