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In 2016 the province held its first-ever full-scale exercise to simulate a response to a major earthquake or tsunami. It was based on a chilling scenario: a 9.0-magnitude quake erupts 150 km off the southwest B.C. coast, generating a tsunami with 20-metre surges that destroys much of the Port Alberni region.

Photo by Steve Bosch/Vancouver Sun

While the four-day exercise was deemed a success, documents show there were some shortcomings, including “major challenges” related to emergency support for First Nations. Personnel also had difficulty determining the “true status” of damage to major infrastructure and utilities.

The province also found that while personnel were working hard, there was no way to know in real time “are we doing the right things?” And some response tasks were delayed due to “staff interrupting each other to try to define meaning of acronyms or merely guessing.”

Asked about these gaps, Emergency Management BC (EMBC) officials told the Post in a written response it has been working to address the issues raised through an “improvement plan.”

Who would coordinate the disaster response?

When a major disaster happens in the province, the coordination of the overall response and recovery falls to EMBC. It has the authority to activate the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre located at EMBC headquarters in Victoria. It was activated to deal with the recent heavy flooding in B.C.’s southern interior, for example.

But a report from August 2016 states that while the current system is equipped to handle single incidents like floods or wildfires, “it is not as well suited for a complex catastrophic event where there are multiple lead agencies/ministries with competing demands.”