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Each year, seismologists with the Geological Survey of Canada record and locate more than 1,000 earthquakes in western Canada. That is 2 or 3 earthquakes a day and most of these we never feel.
The earth's crust is made up of plates which are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which are constantly moving, relative to one another, at speed's of about 2-10 cm/year or about as fast as your fingernails grow.
The plates can either slide past one another, collide, or they can move apart. Want to see how this works? Check out this BBC animated earthquake guide.
The west coast of Canada is one of the few areas in the world where all three of these types of plate movements take place, resulting in significant earthquake activity. The North Shore could experience an earthquake that causes damage and injury.
It is important to know how to protect yourself in an earthquake, establish a plan and stock emergency supplies. The best way to learn is to take one of the free emergency preparedness workshops offered year around on the North Shore.
How to protect yourself once the shaking starts
If you are inside your home when the earthquake strikes, stay there.
Drop under a sturdy desk or solid piece of furniture to cover your body. Hold on to the furniture and continue to protect yourself. If the furniture moves, stay under and move with it. Othewise you may find yourself without any cover. This is a 'safe place'. It will protect you from falling and flying debris. Identify the 'safe places' in each room in your home or office.
Inner walls, corners and hallways can also be safe. The inner core of a building is usually the strongest and least likely to collapse. Get down alongside the inner wall or corner, place your head close to your knees, cover the sides of your head with your elbows and clasp your hands firmly behind your neck. Keep in mind that inside walls may have other hazards: pictures, glass, light fixtures, unsecured shelving. You have to look at the walls to check for hazards.
If you are in a very narrow hallway, you can sit down, brace your back against one wall and your feet against the other. Again, protect your head, neck and face.
If there is no cover, just grab anything to protect yourself - a chair, a coat, newspaper, cushion - ANYTHING.
Remember: DROP under something solid to protect yourself, COVER your neck to protect your vital organs and HOLD on to continue to protect yourself.
If you are in the kitchen when the shaking starts, get out! The kitchen is probably the most dangerous room to be in when an earthquake strikes. Pots filled with hot water or food will fly off burners. appliances such as toasters and coffee makers can become dangerous missiles. Cupboard doors will fly open, and their contents will explode out onto the floor. The refrigerator may slide or walk across the room and light fixtures may fall. Find a 'safe place' in an adjouning room or hallway.
If you are sleeping when the shaking starts, don't try to get under the bed, because you won't have time and you probably won't fit! Stay in bed and protect yourself with your blanket, pillow or quilt. Close your blinds and curtains at night. They will offer some protection from broken glass.
If you are showering when the shaking starts, immedaitely drop to the bottom of the shower stall to avoid falling. Protect yourself with the shower curtain, bath mat, a towel, clothes or your hands. Install a power failure light in your bathroom.
Teach children to stay under cover, even after the shaking has stopped, until an adult come to help them.
Don't worry about your dog or cat. Animals instinctively run for cover when they are frightened.
Highrise Buildings - Get under a desk and stay away from windows and outside walls. Determine if you should stay put, "shelter-in-place" or evacuate. The power may go out and the sprinkler system may come on. Do not use elevators.
If you are inside a crowded public place, do not rush for doorways. Others will have the same idea. Move away from display shelves containing objects that may fall. if you can, take cover and grab something to shield your head and face from falling debris and glass.
If outdoors, move away from buildings and utility wires. The greatest danger from falling debris is just outside doorways and close to outer walls. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
If you are in a moving vehicle, stop as quickly and safely as possible and move over the shoulder or curb, away from utility poles, overhead wires and under or overpasses. Stay in the vehicle, set the parking brake, and turn on the radio for emergency broadcast information. A car may jiggle violently on its springs, but it is a good place to stay until the shaking stops.When you feel it is safe to drive on, watch for hazards created by the earthquake, such as breaks in the pavement, downed utility poles and wires.
There are a number of websites offering useful and detailed information about earthquakes and earthquake preparedness:
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Earthquakes can be so strong that they knock houses and buildings off their foundations. Chimneys can fall down and falling bricks is one of the dangers of an earthquake. This photograph was taken following the Northridge Earthquake, which struck Southern California in 1994.
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