Canada's close shave British Columbia escapes earthquake disaster

 

AFP Photo / Jiji Press

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/earthquake-canada-near-miss-423/

The inhabitants of British Columbia narrowly escaped the 7.7 magnitude quake that struck off the Canadian coast. A tsunami alert was issued for the country's west coast, but if the mammoth quake had struck a city it would have caused sizable damage.

The 7.7 tremor rattled the Queen Charlotte Islands at around 8:00am local time, prompting the mass evacuation of British Columbia's coastal regions. Aftershocks – some topping 5.0 magnitude on the Richter scale – continued to follow the massive quake.

The National Weather service initially issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of British Columbia, but later extended it to encompass southern Alaska, northern California, southern Oregon and Hawaii. The warning was later downgraded to an advisory.

In Hawaii, authorities rushed to evacuate citizens to higher ground as a precaution again a tsunami that they said could “damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii.”

Gerard Fryer, a senior geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami warning center told CNN that, given the scale of the quake, Canada got lucky with a near-miss.

"A 7.7 is a big, hefty earthquake. It's not something you can ignore," said Fryer. “If that were a heavily populated area, it would have caused significant damage. It definitely would have done significant damage if it had been under a city."

Tsunami waves have already reached the coasts of Hawaii, but were smaller than predicted, reaching only one meter in height. The Institute of Ocean Science said that 69-centimeter waves had been registered in the north of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

"It appears to be settling down," Dennis Sinnott of the Institute of Ocean Science said. "It does not mean we won't get another small wave coming through."

‘No warning’

The residents of Queen Charlotte Island said that the earthquake caught them completely unawares. Local resident Urs Thomas, 59, related his account of the earthquake to AFP, saying that he received no advance warning.

"It was a pretty good shock," Thomas said. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving." He added the tremors went on for a full three minutes.

Scientists said that confusion over the epicenter of the quake caused delays in issuing a warning to coastal communities.

"We thought that the earthquake was on land and when we learned that it was deeper undersea and we gathered more information, we had no choice but to issue a warning," Gerard Fryer said.

The west coast of Canada experiences small tremors on a relatively regular basis because of its proximity to the Queen Charlotte Fault, which marks the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.

The largest quake in Canadian history happened in 1700, and reached a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale. The megathrust quake was even larger than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that killed 3,000 people.

Since then, the strongest earthquake to strike Canada was in 1949, measuring 8.1 in magnitude. Its epicenter was also in the Queen Charlotte Islands and tremors were felt in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Although no deaths were recorded, there was significant damage to homes and buildings.

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Tsunami warning issued after magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes west coast of British Columbia, Canada

 

Source: Fox News

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/28/tsunami-warning-issued-after-magnitude-77-earthquake-strikes-off-coast-western/

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada and authorities issued a tsunami warning, but there were no reports of major damage. Residents in parts of British Columbia were evacuated but the province seemed to escape the biggest quake in Canada since 1949 largely unscathed.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit the Queen Charlotte Islands just after 8 p.m. local time Saturday at a depth of about 3 miles (5 kilometers) and was centered 96 miles (155 kilometers) south of Masset, British Columbia. It was felt across a wide area in British Columbia, both on its Pacific islands and on the mainland.

"It looks like the damage and the risk are at a very low level," said Shirley Bond, British Columbia's minister responsible for emergency management said. Bond said they were grateful.

The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas of British Columbia, southern Alaska and Hawaii. The first wave of the small tsunami, about 4 inches (101.6 millimeters), hit the southeast Alaska coastal community of Craig.

Dennis Sinnott of the Canadian Institute of Ocean Science said a 69-centimeter (27 inch) wave was recorded off Langara Island on the northeast tip of Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands. The islands are home to about 5,000 people, many of them members of the Haida aboriginal group. Another 55 centimeter (21 inch) wave hit Winter Harbour on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

"It appears to be settling down," he said. "It does not mean we won't get another small wave coming through."

Kelly Kryzanowski of Emergency Management B.C. said an evacuation center had been set up on Haida Gwaii.

"Power in some areas is sporadic. There are challenges with telecom. We have not had any reports of damage," Kryzanowski said.

Canada's largest earthquake since 1700 was an 8.1 magnitude quake on August 22, 1949 off the coast of British Columbia, according to the Canadian government's Natural Resources website. It occurred on the Queen Charlotte Fault in what the department called Canada's equivalent of the San Andreas Fault — the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates that runs underwater along the west coast of the Haida Gwaii.

Saturday's quake was the strongest in Canada since 1970 when a 7.4 magnitude quake struck south of the Haida Gwaii.

Early on Sunday, Alaska and Canada were downgraded from tsunami warnings, but advisories were issued for the California and Oregon coasts.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center originally said there was no threat to the islands of Hawaii, but a warning was issued later Saturday and remains in effect until 7 p.m. Sunday. A small craft advisory is in effect until Sunday morning. The center says the first tsunami wave could hit the islands by about 10:30 p.m. local time.

The USGS said the temblor shook the waters around British Columbia and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock after several minutes. Several other aftershocks were reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said it was trying to warn everyone with a boat on the water to prepare for a potential tsunami.

Lt. Bernard Auth of the Juneau Command Center said the Coast Guard was working with local authorities to alert people in coastal towns to take precautions.

The quake struck 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Sandspit, British Columbia, on the Haida Gwaii archipelago, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. People in coastal areas were advised to move to higher ground.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements said there was no warning before everything began moving inside and outside the hotel. He said it lasted about three minutes.

"It was a pretty good shock," Thomas, 59, said. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving."

After the initial jolt, Thomas began to check the hotel.

"The fixtures and everything were still swinging," he said. "I had some picture frames coming down."

Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that a major earthquake was felt across much of north and central British Columbia but that there were no immediate reports of damage. PrayForCanada became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

"I was sitting at my desk on my computer and everything just started to move. It was maybe 20 seconds," said Joan Girbav, manager of Pacific Inn in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. "It's very scary. I've lived here all my life and I've never felt that."

The quake was felt on the mainland in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, which is across the Hecate Strait from the islands.

"Everyone felt it here," said city recreation director Rudy Kelly, who was setting up an evacuation center for people from the city's low-lying areas. He said the work was in anticipation of a tsunami wave.

Prince Rupert resident Grainne Barthe said fire trucks had blocked access to the waterfront when she came out of a restaurant.

"Everything was moving. It was crazy," she said. "I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."

Residents rushed out of their homes in Tofino, British Columbia on Vancouver Island when the tsunami sirens sounded, but they were allowed to return about two hours after the quake.

Yvett Drews, a resident of Tofino, said she and dozens of others had gathered at the local elementary school where they were told by police that they could return home.

But while on the way home, Drews said she heard the tsunami sirens go off again.

"Well that just freaked me out, hearing the siren and the voice," she said.

Carsten Ginsburg, a resident on British Columbia's mainland in Bella Coola, said the quake lasted for about 40 seconds.

"It shook everything. The electricity went out, the power lines were swinging all over the place and stuff was falling off the shelves."

Ginsburg owns the Float House Inn on the public wharf in Bella Coola and had about six customers celebrating a birthday party.

Earthquake Map

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

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Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen in Alaska contributed to this report
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/28/tsunami-warning-issued-after-magnitude-77-earthquake-strikes-off-coast-western/#ixzz2Aa6VP1Ex

 

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