Annual drill urges British Columbians to prepare for earthquakes [Video]

Emergency planners are advising British Columbians to be prepared for major earthquakes in the province, including practising what they would do if the natural disaster struck. 

That’s the reasoning behind running a one-minute ShakeOut drill each year on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m. local time. The exercise is organized in workplaces, schools and people’s homes worldwide.

It aims to get residents prepared for big earthquakes, especially in earthquake-prone zones like the West Coast of North America. In B.C., the drill comes a little under two weeks after a series of earthquakes were felt in Metro Vancouver and northern B.C.

John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said early preparedness is key in the province, which includes having an emergency kit and being aware of potential hazards like hanging lights or paintings.

“It’s a fine line. You don’t want to scare people … but you do want to remind people that very large earthquakes have happened …