The B.C. government and the Capital Regional District have created an online tsunami information portal to prepare and provide real-time information to residents during tsunami events.
The Capital Region Tsunami Information Portal is now available. It allows residents to see if they live, work or will be visiting a tsunami hazard zone.
The portal is also home to an interactive map, providing real-time information on current tsunami conditions. Users are also able to enter their home address or work address and see if they are in a hazard zone, giving them the opportunity to prepare for an event.
“This past year, we’ve had 1,151 small earthquakes in our region,” said John Cassidy, Earthquake Seismologist with Natural Resources Canada.
With frequent events every year throughout the Island, Cassidy says that the interactive allows for users to prepare for a tsunami event now.
“How much time do you have or how high might the waves be? So it provides really valuable information for everyone across the region,” said Cassidy.
Data from global events including a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that happened on September 20 in Mexico was used to create the portal. At the moment, the technology is limited to the CRD, but GeoBC may consider expanding in the future.
“We want to assess the success of this particular application and see where we can go from here,” said Ben Arril, Team Lead, Business Innovation and Emergency Response, GeoBC.
Oli Herrera
