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Tsunami Safety in the Capital Region

T10 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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If you are near the ocean and feel an makes it difficult to stand, move to higher ground or inland TO IN THE A TSUNAMI immediately. Do not waitEVENT for anOF official warning!

START PREPARING TODAY HAVE A SAFE AND FUN WINTER

uring a tsunami

four metres or 13 feet sunami in the Capital on your mobile device ation.

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tsunami is a series of waves. The first wave to arrive is often not the largest, and each wave may be separated by up to an hour or more. Waves may continue for many hours — stay away from the shore until local government officials tell you it is safe to return.

■ DO NOT call 911 unless you have a lifethreatening emergency and stay off phone lines as they will be in use by emergency personnel.

In the event of a tsunami warning, local governments will ■ Stay tuned tomethods. local media for furtherThese may communicate instructions using various instructions. (Have a battery-powered or wind-up radio in your grab & go bag). include telephone/email/text alert systems, sirens, social ■ In the event of a tsunami warning, local ■ It is important to remember that the waves governments will communicate instructions will continue to arrive for many hours after the media channels, websites, media outlets, or door-to-door visit using various methods.

These may include initial rise and fall of the ocean level. telephone/email/text alert systems, sirens, social media channels, websites or door-todoor visits. Check PrepareYourself.ca to find out which systems your local government uses, and if there is an alert system you can subscribe to.

■ DO NOT go back to tsunami hazard areas until

instructed by local government officials. your Go to PrepareYourself.ca to find out which systems or wind-up radio in your grab & go bag). local government uses, and if there is an alert system you can subscribe to.

ke if possible, to keep Section 1: BEFORE AN EMERGENCY obtain extra food; extra blankets he rules are the same for any If you are near the ocean and feel an earthquake that lasts rs. and sleeping bags; CSA approved emergency: know the risks; have a plan; build your kits and heaters; extra clothing you can 60 use as layers. Make sure all your seconds or more, or makes it difficult to stand: know your neighbours. nd bodies ofthere water heating options are inspected On the Island, are a few and in working order. Arrange risks that affect us all: residential fires; health-related emergencies; ard zones until local for snow removal. Know when, where and how to shut off and earthquakes and tsunamis, and restart utilities. Make sure your climate change.

Climate change e to can return. transportation is serviced and include extreme temperatures,

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fe threatening as they will be in use

maintained and has winter tires.

If it requires fuel of any kind, make sure it always kept more than half full. Make arrangements to stay with friends or family if you are evacuated.

Introduce yourself to your neighbours and share your plans with them. Ask for help if you need it. Always offer to reciprocate.

Research shows that it is our neighbours who are our lifelines when there is an emergency.

Protect yourself during earthquakes

or further instructions dio in your Grab-and-Go nd trusted social media

4m/ 13ft

The shaking is your tsunami warning in the Capital Region

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Are You Prepared?

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Tsunami waves may arrive for hours

Graphic Courtesy of PreparedBC

storms, and extended utility outages.

It is vital that you have a written plan – it may be a simple check list or a more extensive plan that includes instructions on meeting places, ideas on how you will communicate with extended family and those services like insurance companies who will help you recover. It should include a document that includes all your important information from medications to credit card and insurance information and an evacuation and shelter-in place plan.

Use your plan to start building your kits and getting prepared. For winter readiness, make sure your grab and go kits is up to date. Make your appointments for flu and other respiratory disease vaccinations;

DO Drop, Cover and shaking has stopped X DO NOT call 911Hold unlessOn youuntil have athe life-threatening emergency

h includes evacuation Fire, Earthquake or Flood Evacuation MOST off phone lines as they will be in use byTHE emergency DO moveand tostay higher ground ted meeting 1 and places, 2 Person 3 Day Survival Kits personnel.

IMPORTANT THING Are you using the Township of Esquimalt’s public alert system?

DO stay tuned to local media for updates TO REMEMBER y or friends who are not X media for further instructions.

(Have a 2 person 3 day kit 1 person 3 day kit Use Stay the free tuned Esquimalt to Alertlocal service to: DURING battery-powered or wind-up radio in your grab & go bag AN and $225.00 DO follow $125.00 the instructions of authorities 1. find out about emergency events like fires, tsunamis or floods

EARTHQUAKE: know your local radio, TV and trusted social media sources DO NOTofgo near the water to watch information.)

See our website for more information zone, be prepared

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MEDIXBC.CA | 778 351 2630 #22-2075 Henry Ave W, Sidney

2. find out about day-to-day information, like garbage schedules 3. alert you by app (Android & iOS), text, email or phone call 4. create personalized alerts for you and your family 5. get fast and accurate emergency information direct from the Township

In the eventto of a tsunamifor warning, local governments will Tsunami signs at the beach: registerwatch at esquimalt.ca/alerts

communicate instructions using various methods. These facebook.com/TownshipofEsquimalt | 250-414-7100 | twitter.com/EsquimaltBC may include alert systems, sirens, • A sudden rise telephone/email/text or fall of ocean level social media channels, websites or door-to-door visits. Check • A loud roaring noise coming from the ocean www.PrepareYourself.ca to find out which systems your local TO HAVE A SAFE AND FUN WINTER.• Ground government uses, and if there is an alert system you can shaking The rules are the same for preparing for every emergency… subscribe to.

• Know the Risks • Build Your Kits

START PREPARING TODAY

• Have a Plan

It is important to remember that tsunami waves will It is important to remember that the waves will continue to arrive continue to arrive for the hours the rise and for many hours after initialafter rise and fallinitial of the ocean level. fall Falls can happen time. Stay safer at until instructed by NOT go back toany tsunami hazard areas of theDO ocean level. home with access to help 24 hours a day.

• Know Your Neighbours

local government officials.

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Call today and quote code 1254 to receive

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For further information contact: Oak Bay Emergency Program (OBEP) 250-592-9121 | obep@oakbay.ca | oakbay.ca

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Sign-up for Oak Bay’s emergency notification system at www.oakbay.ca/alerts

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IF YOU ARE NEAR THE OCEAN DURING AN EARTHQUAKE: ■ DO move to higher ground once the shaking stops.

■ DO monitor local media.

■ DO follow the instructions of authorities.

■ DO NOT go near the water to watch.

■ DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!), ■ Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table (or against a wall with your arms covering your head/neck), and ■ HOLD ON to your shelter and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

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TIMES COLONIST | timescolonist.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

T11

EMERGEN PREPAREDNECY BE READY FOSS: ANYTHING R

EMERGENCY PLANNING IS IMPORTANT IN ALL SEASONS as food, water, personal toiletries, and basic supplies.

For all emergencies, the best thing you can do is create an emergency plan in advance. Have a conversation with your household about how you would respond to different emergency situations. How will you communicate and receive information? Where will you meet if separated? Are there special considerations to plan for,

Contributed by PreparedBC

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his summer’s wildfire season was one of the most destructive on record for B.C., reminding us of the importance of emergency planning and preparedness. But as wildfire activity subsides, now is not the time to become complacent, but rather start considering and preparing for other hazards.

With fall and winter ahead, Vancouver Island can expect to see an increased potential for storms and severe weather. This can take the form of heavy wind, rain, and snow, which can cause power outages, flooding and other damage.

For example, on December 20, 2018 the most damaging windstorm in BC Hydro’s history hit the south coast and left more than 750,000 customers without power.

Aside from severe weather, earthquake and tsunami preparedness should always be top of mind for Vancouver Island residents. Seismologists predict a one-in-10 chance that the “big one” (an estimated 9.0 magnitude

earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone) could strike in the next 50 years.

When planning and preparing for any hazard in any season, there are basically two scenarios to consider – whether you’ll need to shelter in place, in other words stay safely at home, or evacuate.

During a power outage or other disruption to infrastructure, which can be caused by storms or earthquakes, you may need to cope at home for a prolonged period without access to amenities like electricity or tap water. To prepare for this, build a household emergency kit with enough nonperishable food, water and supplies that will support your household for a week or longer. Make sure it’s stored in an easily accessible location that everyone knows about.

In the event of hazards such as a wildfire or tsunami, you may be issued an Evacuation Order by your Indigenous or local government. An Evacuation Order is a measure to protect your immediate safety and

CONNECTED FOR SAFETY

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n 2020, CREST transitioned more than 50 agencies - including police departments, fire departments, ambulance services, BC Transit and public safety organizations - to a new digital P25 network that is considered a world standard in public safety telecommunications.

Network improvements include better coverage, enhanced audio clarity and interoperability features. “CREST’s P25 network came into play at the right time,” said Gord Horth, CREST’s General Manager responsible for the 4-year $24.5 M technology upgrade.

“Our region’s emergency responders are facing escalating and more complex workplace demands as a consequence of the on-going health pandemic. The superior performance of the new network means we are providing our user agencies with better tools and improved connectivity when they need it most.”

While Horth is pleased that the region is better protected and can be self-reliant in the event of a largescale disaster – a critical public safety feature of the new CREST network - he acknowledges that more work is needed to improve coverage in the Pacific Rim and on the Gulf Islands. With a provincial push to bring cellular service to these underserved areas, CREST plans to collocate on new facilities in the near future. In the meantime, however, CREST’s dedicated and talented team of young technology professionals are finding innovative solutions to help first responders in rural areas like Shirley.

During the pandemic, Shirley

Fire has been inundated by calls for assistance in the back country as the remote hills have become very appealing to off-road enthusiasts.

Without radio communication, rescue missions put crews a risk.

To help, CREST engineers designed and custom-built a solar powered, repeater station that extended communication capabilities and gave the Shirley Fire department a critical lifeline in their rescue work making it safer for them to do their jobs, and speeding up access to medical facilities for injured trail users.

“We, in the Capital Region, are very fortunate to have our own emergency communications organization,” said Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Director Mike Hicks.

“When you are dealing with CREST, you are dealing locally with people that respond immediately, know the region and have the relationships on the ground. I can’t say enough good things about the CREST team.

They are smart, innovative and highly skilled. Their work supports our region’s emergency responders ensuring that these brave men and women can perform their duties safely and with confidence 24/7.” crest.ca

requires you to leave home on short notice and travel to a safe location.

To make this easier, you can pack grab-and-go bags for everyone in your household ahead of time that contain important documents such as IDs and insurance papers, as well

such as medical needs, disabilities, young children, or pets? Do you know how to shut off utilities in your home?

To help you get started, visit PreparedBC.ca for fill-in-the blank templates and other educational resources. For daily tips and advice, you can also follow PreparedBC on Facebook and Twitter (@preparedbc).