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By Elliot Chan,
Contributor

ancouverites

sure are a whiny
bunch. There’s never
not something for us
to complain about: it’s
always raining, the traffic
is bad, and it costs way
too much to live here.
We could go on and on,
but it’s not until tragedy
comes along that things
are put into perspective.

For years now,

citizens of the Pacific
Northwest have been
warned about “the Big
One,” an impending
catastrophic earthquake
with no equal in recent
history. Caused by the
Cascadia subduction
zone, an area off of the
west coast where two
tectonic plates meet.
The movements of both

 

 

British Columbia prepares for

plates force one beneath
the other, causing
tension to build up
beneath the earth. When
the tension is finally
released, it will generate
the most devastating of
earthquakes, known as a
megathrust.

There have been 15
megathrust earthquakes
recorded in human
history; the most recent
being the 2011 9.0
magnitude in Japan. The
Japanese were recognized
for their earthquake
preparations, but after
watching their coastal
towns get wiped away
by tsunamis, we must
turn the lens on ourselves
and ask how properly
equipped we are for
a disaster of equal or
greater proportion.

Give us 100 years and
we still won't be able
to build an earthquake-

‘the Big One

resistant city. What

we can do is apply

our knowledge and
preparation and create

a system that will lessen
the effects. Mitigation,
preparedness, response,
and recovery are the four
pillars of earthquake
readiness.

THE SHAKE OUT
The first Great British
Columbia Shake Out
was held last year on
January 26, in memory
of the earthquake that
struck BC on the same
day in 1700. The Shake
Out is a province-wide
earthquake drill, where
participants practice
and demonstrate safety
procedures. Possibly
receiving publicity from
the ominous nature
attached to the year
2012, the Shake Out

has enjoyed a surge in

exposure for its second
outing. The British
Columbia Shake Out will
take place on October
18 at 10:18 a.m. So
wherever you are at this
time, take a moment to
test your reaction and
comprehension of a safe
earthquake protocol.
Douglas College is
amongst the 18 post-
secondary institutions
participating in the drill
this year. A committee
of local, provincial, and
federal governments, as
well as private sectors
and non-governmental
organizations are
responsible for
organizing the Shake
Out. This committee is
in charge of spreading
earthquake awareness
to the apathetic masses.
Although they are
unable to predict when
a damaging earthquake

  

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will strike, experts agree
that there is a 1/3 chance
of one hitting in the next
50 years, the same odds
as contracting a heart
disease (stroke, diabetes,
etc.) So, along with eating
healthy, getting plenty of
sleep, and exercising, we
must also be prepared for
earthquakes.

Captain Brock
Henson, the Emergency
Program Officer of
Saanich, informed
The Other Press that
on the 18", over 100
different drills will be
conducted by different
organizations and first
response agencies.
Speaking on behalf of
the fire departments,
Henson stated that
these earthquake
procedures include
getting the fire truck
out of the hall, insuring
that communications are