Emergency Management BC launched an alert from the Provincial Emergency Notification System this morning as part of Exercise Coastal Response, the Province’s first full-scale earthquake exercise undertaken in B.C. The notification occurred shortly after the 7:45 a.m. commencement of the exercise.

The alert noted that a fictional earthquake has occurred and that a simulated tsunami warning is in place for parts of coastal Vancouver Island; it was sent to select coastal emergency managers and partner agencies, local authorities and First Nations on Vancouver Island, those who are participating in the June 7-10 exercise.

Important information for media:

Media are invited to attend the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre tour at the EMBC facilities at 2261 Keating Cross Road in Saanichton on Wednesday June 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., where Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness Naomi Yamamoto will provide media a site tour of the operations room and radio communications centre. Media will be given the opportunity to view the exercise in progress and speak with:

• Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness
• Chris Duffy, acting assistant deputy minister for Emergency Management BC
• Claude Denver, lead exercise evaluator, and lead response manager from the State Emergency Operations Centre, Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Media wishing to join the “Ground Zero” site tour in Port Alberni from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday June 9 must register in advance to gain a seat on the media bus; the site is secured and access otherwise restricted. The tour will provide entry to the mass-care facilities and the mobile medical unit where doctors will treat casualties in full make-up, access to the “mock morgue” led by the BC Coroners Service, the heli-pad landing area where emergency medical supplies will be slung in, and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue extraction of survivors from a simulated building collapse. Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness will join the tour. RSVP to Julianne.McCaffrey@gov.bc.ca

Media interested in fact sheets on the agencies involved in Exercise Coastal Response, backgrounders on earthquake science and media assets (like photos, videos and soundbites as they become available) can access these at: http://bit.ly/25IoM8B

Quick Facts:

Exercise Coastal Response

• Exercise Coastal Response is based on a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurring off the shore of Southwestern B.C. as a result of a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The earthquake scenario will generate a tsunami impacting the west coast of Vancouver Island minutes after the initial shock.
• The exercise brings together some key stakeholder groups such as different levels of government, various jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., and a number of provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations, non-government organizations and first responders.
• The exercise is a mix of real-time activities and simulated situations involving functions such as emergency operations, logistics, medical care, mass care, public information and operational communications.

Learn More:

Exercise Coastal Response: Landing Page, Program Page (ow.ly)

BC Earthquake Immediate Response Plan: http://ow.ly/4nrclv

PreparedBC: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/preparedbc

Basic emergency kit supplies: http://ow.ly/4nrcp3

Household preparedness and neighbourhood preparedness guides: http://ow.ly/4nrcso

Prepare Your Pets Guide: http://ow.ly/4nrcwG

Emergency Info BC, B.C.’s official channel for emergency alerts: http://ow.ly/WCDbj

Follow on Twitter: @EmergencyInfoBC (twitter.com) and: @PreparedBC (twitter.com)