The tsunami warning system worked, but expert says people still need to stay alert

CBC

2 days ago

As one of this century's most powerful earthquakes generated tsunami warnings and advisories across a swath of the Pacific early Wednesday — including along the B.C. coast — a risk assessment expert says the warning system worked just as it was meant to.
"The good thing is that all the countries around the Pacific ... reacted promptly," Katsu Goda, a Canada research chair and expert on earthquakes, tsunamis and risk assessment from Western University, told CBC News Network Wednesday morning.
The earthquake struck off Russia's sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.
Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.
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Katsu Goda, a Canada research chair and expert on earthquakes, tsunamis and risk assessment, took questions on what people need to know when officials trigger tsunami alerts and warnings.
In B.C., for instance, a tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, was issued for the north and central coasts, including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spanned the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.
A tsunami advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials.
"I think that's appropriate and then we just have to be aware and be away from the waters," Goda said.
A tsunami warning, which is the highest level, means that residents should move away from the water immediately. A watch means people should stay alert for more information.
Now warnings are being downgraded in most areas. The National Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled its tsunami advisory for coastal B.C. early Wednesday, which stretched from the B.C.-Washington border, north to the B.C.-Alaska border.
The alert, sent at 6:20 a.m. PT, noted that a warning remained in effect in parts of California, along the coast from Humboldt/Del Norte Line to the Oregon-California border. Advisories remained in effect for the California coast from Rincon Point (near Santa Barbara) to Humboldt/Del Norte Line, including San Francisco Bay. Parts of Oregon, Washington state, and the Aleutian Islands off Alaska remained under advisory.
People still need to be cautious, Goda said, explaining that the tsunami waves in the Pacific can go back and forth for "potentially days." And if people aren't alerted, a fast wave could potentially sweep people in the water out to sea.
He added that there can be a risk, especially in more remote areas or First Nation communities, that people may not get the warnings or may not heed them, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time.
"At this point I think everything is in order."
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