The B.C. Government is investing five million dollars in Oceans Networks Canada to develop early earthquake warning systems.
This is a one-time fund aimed to add more offshore strong motion sensors and integrate them with land-based sensors to collect and analyze seismic activity. The goal is to develop these warning systems to help the residents of B.C. ahead of an earthquake striking the province.
“Investing in tools that help ensure British Columbia’s resilience in emergencies is of pinnacle importance to this government, as reflected by the investments made in the new budget,” said Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness. “Contributing to an effective earthquake detection system is prudent, as every second of early warning can save lives. Preparedness is key to resilience and sparing lives with a few extra seconds warning that allow us to drop, cover and hold on will provide a critical tool.”
Ocean Networks Canada currently collects data from offshore and coastal strong motion sensors that will link into networks of land based sensors from other agencies including those owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources Canada and the University of British Columbia.