If even one person is more prepared for a major earthquake thanks to the ShakeOut B.C. campaign drill, Squamish Emergency Program (SEP) manager Jim Lang said it's worth it.
On Wednesday (Jan. 26) at 10 a.m., hundreds of thousands of British Columbians will "drop, cover and hold on" in the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history, The Great British Columbia Shake Out, and at least 2,936 Squamish residents will take part.
When the initiative - designed to increase awareness and preparedness for a major earthquake - began in November 2010, Lang was determined to involve as many businesses, organizations, schools, governments and individuals as possible.
Since then, schools, non-profit organizations, families, businesses, clubs, hospitals and the District of Squamish have joined the ranks of those committed to making Squamish as prepared as possible.
"I want to make sure Squamish is prepared if the big one happens," said Lang at the time, although for him it's more a question of "when" than "if."
He said ideally, the drill itself will raise red flags - whether people have too much "stuff" under their desk to fit underneath or whether bookshelves need to be bolted into walls.
"The purpose of this exercise is to generate all the 'what ifs,' and to create those questions," Lang said.
"There's no doubt there will be serious consequences and I can't pretend to predict the number of injuries here in town - but even if I can save 15 to 20 people from injury with this drill, it's worth it to reduce injuries and losses. That means I need to find less refrigerator trucks to put people in, and less medical tents to treat people outside the hospital."
Lang's instructions are as follows:
At 10 a.m., everyone needs to drop down, get underneath a desk or table and wait for the "hypothetical shaking" to stop. He said if there's no desk or table to hide under, find a sheltered corner because buildings are more structurally sound in corners.
"If that's the case, you do need to cover your head and body as much as you can," said Lang.
Once the "shaking" has stopped, Lang said everyone should count to 60 before proceeding to the muster point (already designated by the team leader) outside the building. He said to make sure the chosen muster station isn't below overhangs or power lines.
He also reminded everyone to look up and check his or her surroundings before exiting the building and not to run while still indoors.
The date for the earthquake drill - Jan. 26 - wasn't chosen arbitrarily. The last "great quake" that sent a tsunami pounding onto the shores of the Vancouver Island and the mainland took place Jan. 26, 1701. And according to soil samples taken from Vancouver Island and compared to samples in California, it's time for another.
"The history of this quake is that it goes every three to five hundred years and pretty much quakes are like rings on a tree - we know when they go," he said.
"The Juan de Fuca plate [which runs from California to halfway up Vancouver Island] hits every 300 to 500 years so if it went in 1701, we're about 10 years into that 300-year cycle."
Lang said experts were able to determine the number of years between earthquakes because the soil samples illustrate the sequence. Years of organic composting layers are interrupted periodically by a layer of fine silt left by the tsunamis caused by earthquakes.
"So is it going to happen today or is it not going to happen for another 125 years?" said Lang.
"That we don't know for sure, but it could happen anytime now."
Lang said he's not trying to scare anyone, but being ready for disaster is the best way to get a town up and running again quickly afterward.
He suspects because of its location, Squamish will be heavily relied on as a connection point and the more people are prepared, the better.
"We may not see the dividends today, but later on," said Lang. "But if one person out of this whole drill in Squamish gets prepared then it's one less person who will need help when this happens. That makes it worth it."
