It’s been over 50 years since the Port Alberni tsunami devastated the local community, and the Province of British Columbia is using the disaster’s memory to prevent another by testing the BC Earthquake Immediate Response Plan.

On March 27, 1964, a massive earthquake struck Prince William Sound in Alaska. The earthquake, a 9.2 on the Richter scale, lasted under five minutes but was recorded as the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history, and the second most powerful in the world.  

The tsunami waves caused the death of over 100 Americans.

Photo Credit: Damage in Anchorage, Ala.

Just after midnight the next day, tsunami waves hit 40 kilometres of the Alberni Inlet, lifting homes off their foundations and toppling cars. About 300 homes and businesses were damaged in and around Port Alberni.

"The 1964 tsunami was a wake-up call to the dangers posed by earthquakes along the Pacific coast and beyond,” said Port Alberni Mayor, Mike Ruttan. “While our community has made tremendous progress since then to mitigate the impacts of future events, as individuals we all must take steps to prepare our homes and families to cope during an emergency.”

Since then, British Columbia's earthquake response has made leaps and bounds. The province has improved building codes and early response technology and formed response groups like Emergency Management BC (EMBC). B.C. also appointed Naomi Yamamoto as the first Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness.

"Although the devastation that resulted from the 1964 Earthquake happened over five decades ago, there are many lessons our government has learned from it and it helps to illustrate why we, as a government, are investing so much into Exercise Coastal Response and into emergency preparedness as a whole to help protect the communities of B.C. and each and every British Columbian,” said Yamamoto.

Now, if there is a tsunami watch, advisory or warning is issued by the National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC), the Provincial Emergency Notification System (PENS) automatically sends out about 800 automated voice notices and 450 emails to local governments, emergency officials, media, first responders and more, to be passed on to the people.

From June 7-10, 2016, the province will be testing procedures set out in the BC Earthquake Immediate Response Plan.

The procedure called Exercise Coastal Response is based on a 9.0 earthquake on the shore of Southwestern B.C. after a rapture further north. In the scenario, the earthquake will generate a tsunami that hits the west coast of Vancouver Island shortly after.

The exercise will involve different levels of government, provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations, non-government organizations and first responders. It will be a mix of real-time activities and simulated situations to test emergency operations, logistics, medical care, public information and communications.

At the same time, neighbouring states, including Washington, Oregon and Idaho, will be undergoing a similar exercise.