Tofino residents inside Emergency Centre following tsunami warning January 23. File photo courtesy Twitter/Catherine Lempke
The provincial government says the January 23 tsunami warning was a reminder for residents to be better prepared for a disaster.
Monday marks the beginning of Tsunami Preparedness Week in the province.
Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness Jennifer Rice says the 7.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Kodiak, Alaska that triggered a tsunami warning for the west coast was a wake-up call for residents in coastal communities.
A recent poll by Emergency Management B.C. showed just over half of British Columbians have drafted an emergency plan for catastrophic weather or earthquake events.
Only 13 per cent of respondents have actually completed their emergency plans.
Rice says the January 23 tsunami warning highlighted that the alerting and response system works in case of an emergency and is enhanced with the ability for wireless alerting through the Alert Ready system.
The province has set up an earthquake and tsunami guide online to help people be more prepared for those events.
Andy Neal
