Many Powell River residents have been horrified by the scenes of unimaginable destruction that followed a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan that struck on Friday. The biggest earthquake ever experienced in Japan and the fifth strongest ever recorded was quickly followed by one of the most powerful tsunamis in history, described as tall as a house and speeding like a jet plane.
According to geologists, the quake caused Japan’s main island to shift 2.5 metres (eight feet) and moved the earth’s axis 10 centimetres (2.5 inches). While Japanese residents are used to earthquakes, this one was on an entirely different scale. Satellite pictures show entire cities in the northeast of the country have been wiped off the map.
On top of the horror created by the earthquake and tsunami, Japan has to cope with the threat of a nuclear meltdown at the Daiichi power plant in Fukushima. Radioactivity soared to dangerous levels after a third explosion and a fire at the plant. Residents within 30 kilometres of the reactors were told to evacuate or stay indoors.
The threat of a nuclear meltdown has triggered panic buying of iodine pills on Canada’s West Coast. However, health officials advise that radioactive material escaping into the atmosphere is expected to pose no health risk to British Columbia residents.
Hopefully, the people who are concerned about exposure to radioactive material will also prepare themselves in the event of a large earthquake on our side of the Pacific Ocean. The West Coast lies along the same fault line and experts have been advising residents for some years now that a large earthquake is expected to occur in our area.
Our world is shrinking and we can see the devastation a major quake can cause. It’s up to each and every one of us to prepare for an emergency as best we can. We have to have enough supplies, including water and food, to manage on our own for at least 72 hours. As we have seen only too well since Friday, emergency preparedness is a matter of life or death.
