Monday February 24, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted 10:33 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
An earthquake off the west coast of Vancouver Island happened at 9:37 pm this evening, Monday February 24.
The depth of the 5.0 Magnitude quake was 10 km.
It was reminder that earthquakes happen in coastal areas of BC and that it will pay to be prepared for bigger quakes, including seismic events that happen closer to heavily populated areas.
The location of tonight’s quake was 50.26 N, and 130.01 W. That’s 182 km west of Port Alice.
There were no reports of damage and none would be expected, says Natural Resources Canada.
Getting prepared:
Most people now know to drop, cover and hold on when they first feel the earth shake.
But there is likely still a wide range of emergency kit readiness in homes, places of work and community spaces.
Getting alerts:
An alert will give a second or two of advanced warning. In that respect, it’s good to have developed muscle-memory to drop, cover and hold on.
Building an automatic drop, cover and hold on response is part of the annual Great BC Shakeout drills that are held in October each year.
Quakes all the time:
Earthquakes of various sizes happen every day around the word, with many of them in BC though most of them small.
A major quake in the middle of winter would come with additional concerns, most notably having a continued source of heat in homes, schools and hospitals.
The Big One:
Obviously there is no idea when ‘the big one’ (earthquake of 9.0 M or greater) will happen, but emergency preparedness personnel at all levels of government, in non-profits and other agencies, continue to remind people living in the coastal BC area to be prepared.
People are encouraged to have an emergency kit at home, at workplaces, and in vehicles.
Every member of the family should have a grab-and-go bag (pack for ‘essential’ as well as ‘peace of mind’).
Water and food supplies will be essential after any major seismic event. Communities and schools have various levels of preparedness for water, food and safety gear.
The last 9.0 quake along the west coast Cascadia fault line was over 300 years ago in the year 1700. Seismic specialists say the fault line is expected to cause a major seismic event at least every 300 years. We are now nearing the 325-year mark.
===== RELATED:
- Shallow earthquake is another reminder to be prepared (February 22, 2025)
- Winter evening earthquake is another reminder (February 14, 2025)
- Three summer morning earthquakes far-west of Port Alice (July 11, 2024)
- Summer morning earthquake is another reminder (July 4, 2024)
- Updates about the July 4, 2024 earthquake west of Port Alice are on the Natural Resources Canada website.
- Updates about the July 3, 2024 earthquake off Tofino are on the Natural Resources Canada website.
- January 8: earthquake west of Port Hardy (January 8, 2024)
- Thanksgiving Sunday evening: earthquake close to home (October 8, 2023)
- Sunday morning earthquake on Vancouver Island (March 12, 2023)
- RECENT EARTHQUAKES (NRC)