Victoria is joining coastal communities throughout British Columbia to raise awareness of the importance of understanding tsunami risks during Tsunami Preparedness Week, April 10 – 16.
Residents are encouraged to take part in the virtual High Ground Hike contest, coordinated by PreparedBC and co-hosted by the City of Victoria. It is easy to participate – simply take a picture of yourself in the tsunami safe zone during Tsunami Preparedness Week, post it to Twitter or Facebook, tag @PreparedBC, and add the hashtag #HighGroundSelfie22 to enter the contest – you will be entered to win one of 47 prizes from PreparedBC. You can win even more prizes from the City of Victoria when you include the hashtag #VictoriaHGH in your post.
“We’re very pleased to be part of this event,” said Mayor Lisa Helps. “We live in a seismically active area and need to be prepared by knowing where our tsunami safe zones are. Luckily, Victoria is quite protected from even the worst tsunamis, so for many residents, you can stay where you are and not be at risk.”
There are many different scenarios that could cause a tsunami in our region. That is why it is important to know locations of tsunami hazard areas and where the nearest tsunami safe zone is closest to your home, workplace, and school. The good news is that in Victoria, most areas of the city are in the tsunami safe zone or it is a short distance away and easy to get to on foot or by bike.
If you are in a tsunami hazard zone and feel an earthquake that makes it difficult to stand for 60 seconds or more, drop, cover, and hold on, count to 60 once all shaking has stopped, and then move to higher ground or inland immediately. Do not wait for an official tsunami warning.
The City of Victoria recently updated our Tsunami Hazard Zone Map to reflect regional tsunami modelling updated in 2021 as part of the CRD’s Coastal Flood Inundation Mapping Project. This modelling reflects 11 different earthquake scenarios that may cause a tsunami in our region.
To find out where your tsunami safe zone is and get all the details on the virtual High Ground Hike contest, check out VictoriaReady.ca. While you are there, sign up for Victoria’s emergency notification system Vic-Alert.
Learn more about tsunami preparedness at PreparedBC: www.gov.bc.ca/PreparedBC.