In The News

Earthquake risk and school seismic upgrades in B.C.

There are 126 schools that are rated by the B.C. Ministry of Education as “high-risk” and vulnerable to damage and structural failure in the case of an earthquake.

A deadline to seismically upgrade schools had been set for 2020, but recently Education Minister Peter Fassbender has moved that deadline back between five and 10 years depending where you are in the province.

CBC mapped all the schools highlighted by the Ministry of Education’s seismic mitigation program against an earthquake risk map.

The data shows, for example, that only three schools in Richmond — which is at extreme earthquake risk — have been completed, while the majority of schools in the district are not in line for seismic upgrades.

Schools constructed since 1992 are not included in the map because they’re built to modern structural codes and do not require structural upgrades.

Source: B.C. Ministry of Education on seismic mitigation program as of January 2015; Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction’s earthquake risk tool.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/multimedia/earthquake-risk-and-school-seismic-upgrades-in-b-c-1.3051462

Earthquakes rattle West Coast and B.C. Interior

Two earthquakes rattled British Columbia late Thursday and early Friday morning, but they didn’t cause any damage.

The first quake, which measured 4.2 ML, struck just south of the border in Idaho around 10:43 p.m PT Thursday. It was felt in the Kootenay communities of Castlegar and Creston.

It was one of three small quakes in the area since Thursday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The second quake, which was measured as 6.1 ML by Earthquakes Canada (M6.2 by the USGS) struck in the ocean just off the southern tip of Haida Gwaii at 6:56 a.m. PT Friday.

The quake was felt on Haida Gwaii and along the North Coast, but there was no damage reported and no tsunami warning was issued.

The Haida Gwaii earthquake was near the junction of three of the earth’s tectonic plates, where earthquakes are common. As recently as Tuesday, a 3.6 ML earthquake was reported in the same region.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/earthquakes-rattle-west-coast-and-b-c-interior-1.3047357

Rethinking Seismic

WorkSafe Technologies’ ISO-Base Platforms Provide A Safe, Simple Alternative To Anchoring & Bolting Equipment

It doesn’t take a big earthquake to cause a lot of damage. In fact, that’s one of the misconceptions about the Richter Scale, says Don Hubbard, owner of WorkSafe Technologies.

“The concern is what the energy in the ground can do to your building.” During an earthquake, that energy has to go somewhere. “If your equipment is bolted, the energy is going to go right into your racks and shake the daylights out of the system.”

WorkSafe got its start in seismic protection by bolting and bracing equipment, which is what many data centers still do today. “We realized that wasn’t good enough,” Hubbard says, so WorkSafe developed the idea of using isolation on equipment. Today, the company’s ISO-Base seismic isolation platforms are installed in 26 countries, protecting more than $200 billion worth of equipment.

ISO-Base works using a patented Ball-N-ConeTM bearing that consists of two plates with matching conical recesses sandwiched over a steel ball bearing. In the event of an earthquake, the platform rolls smoothly and evenly and then re-centers once shaking or vibration has stopped.

The ISO-Base platform works with server racks and cabinets, storage units, and virtually any sensitive or valuable equipment. The modular product can accommodate almost any setup, and multiple ISO-Base platforms can be connected with tubing, easily accommodating data centers with hot-aisle/cold-aisle layouts. The open frame design allows room for cooling tubes, air circulation, and cable management.

“People still bolt things down,” Hubbard says. “But if they have to move a cabinet, it’ll get undone and never put back in place.” ISO-Base platforms don’t require bolting, anchoring, or drilling, making them easy to reconfigure and redeploy.

WorkSafe Technologies ISO-Base

Source: http://www.processor.com/article/16979/rethinking-seismic

Earthquake preparedness everyone’s responsibility, B.C. minister says

On the heels of a study finding that a large seismic event could be building on a fault line near the Haida Gwaii, the province’s Attorney General insists earthquake preparedness falls to everyone.

Suzanne Anton says the province’s role is to coordinate, and they’re doing well in making improvements.

When asked about buildings not seismically sound in B.C., including the Legislature and many schools, Anton brings it back to residents.

“Infrastructure is one of the many pieces we have to think about … whether or not we’re ready for the “big one” in British Columbia. In many ways, we are, but it’s back to the individual responsibility. Every home needs to be ready.”

Anton says clearly earthquakes are a big issue and the government takes their coordination role seriously.

“One of the immediate things we have done recently is upgrade our notification system so, for example, were there to be an earthquake in Haida Gwaii or any other area along the coast, we’re able to target our notifications very quickly to … the communities affected.”

The province came under fire when another study found a lack of provincial action and funding are hampering earthquake preparedness.

Source: http://www.cknw.com/2015/04/07/71043/

‘It is going to happen’: South of Haida Gwaii likely location of future earthquake

VANCOUVER — Experts studying the second-biggest earthquake measured in Canadian history have zeroed in on the Pacific archipelago of Haida Gwaii as the likely source of a future large quake and tsunami.

The earthquake off British Columbia’s coast in October 2012 relieved some of the region’s tectonic strain, but new research shows the shifting also increased pressure immediately south of the islands along the Queen Charlotte Fault.

“What this has done in essence is raise the possibility of future thrust earthquakes and tsunamis along this part of the British Columbia margin,” said Thomas James, a researcher with the Geological Survey of Canada.

James is one of the lead authors of a compendium of studies analyzing various facets of the recent earthquake, most of which were published Monday in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

The Pacific and North American tectonic plates mostly slide along one another, but where those plates meet at certain points along the Queen Charlotte Fault they also push against each other, he explained.

The release of that pushing pressure gave rise to the thrust earthquake of 2012.

This type of earthquake is “unusual and to a certain degree unexpected” for the region, added James.

“Any large earthquake can generate a tsunami but thrust earthquakes are especially effective.”

The scientists’ findings were revealed shortly after the provincial government released a consultation report that found B.C. is falling behind on earthquake preparedness.

The absence of major seismic activity near densely populated areas has contributed to a culture of public apathy and resulted in government diverting resources away from emergency management agencies, concluded the report prepared by American consultant Henry Renteria.

“The problem when you are living in earthquake country is that an earthquake is inevitable,” said Renteria in an interview.

“It is going to happen — it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”

Renteria spoke critically of significant cutbacks and staffing shortages suffered by the province’s lead agencies responsible for earthquake and disaster management over the past 20 years, adding that the impact “is beginning to show.”

The report also highlighted the role of members of the public in contingency planning.

The minister responsible for Emergency Management B.C., Suzanne Anton, was unavailable for comment but the ministry issued a news release regarding the report saying: “The Province will continue taking significant strides toward improving disaster preparedness in B.C.”

While the Haida Gwaii earthquake of 2012 caused little structural damage and no serious injuries, in large part thanks to its remoteness, the region experienced tsunami run-up of up to 13 metres. Some of the land also reportedly shifted a full metre from its original location.

“I was quite amazed at the emotional trauma,” said seismologist Alison Bird, who travelled to the archipelago to drop off scientific equipment and interview residents.

“Some people felt it but they weren’t really all that bothered by it. Other people were quiet shaken up, figuratively and literally.”

Bird recalled being approached by a “burly, lumberjack fellow” close to tears who couldn’t stand the rumblings of the aftershocks, thousands of which could be felt in the weeks following the main event.

He would sleep with the radio on so he couldn’t hear the noise, she said.

While the timeline is uncertain, researchers say B.C. is due for a powerful megathrust earthquake — popularly described as the Big One — which is forecast to impact more populated regions of the province.

Source: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/it-is-going-to-happen-south-of-haida-gwaii-likely-location-of-future-earthquake-1.2314666

Major effort needed to reverse apathy about earthquake planning in B.C.: report

All levels of society must work to reverse a deep-seated apathy to earthquake preparedness in B.C., according to a report commissioned by the B.C. government.

Ottawa and Victoria need to give more money and more authority to Emergency Management B.C. and local governments so they can fulfil their responsibility to prepare for what scientists say is an inevitable major quake, said the report released Thursday. And more money and staff are needed for a long-term, sustained public education campaign.

“On the whole, British Columbians, and the majority of their institutions, have either not made earthquake preparedness a priority, or have been unable to make significant progress on addressing this issue,” said the report, written by Henry Renteria, former head of California’s Office of Emergency Services.

He was appointed a year ago to consult the public and governments on the issue.

Renteria noted that his findings are consistent with a provincial auditor general’s report released in March 2014, and added that “the majority of the preparedness gaps and recommendations outlined in previous reports appear to remain valid today.”

The auditor general had warned: “Given the province’s current level of preparedness, a sustained commitment . . . is needed if we are going to minimize the loss of life and other devastating impacts expected from a catastrophic earthquake.”

The Ministry of Justice issued a news release Thursday insisting it is taking “significant strides toward improving disaster preparedness in B.C.”

The province cited, in part, a recent upgrade to the Provincial Emergency Notification System to get tsunami notifications faster to emergency managers in B.C.’s coastal communities and media so that citizens can be alerted.

This spring, the province will study the 911 service, including a look at emerging communications technologies, and will launch a public education campaign to “inform and empower” residents to be prepared for emergencies and disasters.

Ocean Networks Canada will receive $50,000 to support research for tsunami mapping to assist long-term planning in vulnerable communities.

Other recommendations of the Renteria report:

– The province must get the private sector involved in emergency management planning, including setting out legal requirements.

– There needs to be better analysis of structures and areas at risk in an earthquake by the province, local authorities, the private sector, First Nations and the public.

– There must be more spending on improving ways to communicate with the public in an emergency, including 911 improvements.

– There must be a higher emphasis, including money, on preparing urban search and rescue teams, and setting up systems to allow for rapid damage assessment.

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Changes+needed+reverse+apathy+earthquake+preparedness+report/10922967/story.html

Earthquake hits off Vancouver Island coast

An earthquake hit about 150 kilometres south of Port Hardy, B.C. just after the lunch hour on Wednesday — but it was far enough out in the ocean that it likely didn’t so much as rattle dishes on land.

The quake measured 4.9 magnitude, which is considered relatively light, however, that number often changes upon review.

No damage or injuries have been reported as a result of today’s quake, according to Earthquakes Canada.

Anything between 2.5 and 5.4 can be felt but almost always cause only minor damage.

There are about 30,000 similar earthquakes felt worldwide every year and coastal North America is a hotspot.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/earthquake-hits-off-vancouver-island-coast-1.3009499

Earthquake measuring 4.9 strikes off Vancouver Island

A minor earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 struck about 168 kilometres west of Port Hardy on the northwest tip of Vancouver island around 12:35 a.m. PT Wednesday, but no damage was reported.

The Earthquakes Canada website said damage is unlikely from a quake of that magnitude.

Earthquakes are common off the west coast of British Columbia and sometime come in groups or so called swarms, but experts say the smaller quakes are not signs that a bigger quake is more likely to occur.

CBC seismologist Johanna Wagstaffe said the recent quake was about 15 kilometres deep.

“This seems to be a crustal earthquake within the Juan de Fuca plate of the Cascadia subduction zone. Several hundred of these types of quakes happen per year as the Juan de Fuca plate attempts to slide under the North America plate,” Wagstaffe said.

Other recent tremblors in the region include a 3.4 magnitude quake just inland of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast that was felt in Vancouver, and a 4.5 magnitude quake near the southern end of Haida Gwaii on Jan 25, which was felt by some residents on the islands.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/earthquake-measuring-4-9-strikes-off-vancouver-island-1.2981469