Sable Island lifeboat doubles as tsunami pod
A lifeboat on Sable Island serves as a tsunami pod for Parks Canada staff
A remote silver of land 290 kilometres southeast of Halifax, Sable Island is known as the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic', with more than 350 shipwrecks recorded off its shores.
For those fortunate enough to set foot on the shifting sands at the edge of the continental shelf—home to its famed wild horses—one unusual sight stands out: a lifeboat, stationed on land.
Wild horse on Sable Island (Nathan Coleman/The Weather Network)
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The vessel is there for an important reason. In the event of a tsunami, it serves as the only refuge for the three Parks Canada staff who live on the island year-round.
“We call them our tsunami pods,” said Sarah Medill, an operations coordinator at Parks Canada. “Because if we ever get notification that something has been set off offshore and we’re at risk, we can get into that and hopefully ride out any situation that comes our way.”
The pod opens manually and is fully stocked with supplies.
“Inside, we have some supplies. We have emergency rations, water–there’s actually even a locator beacon, so if we ended up somewhere in the Atlantic, they could find us,” said Medill.
Along with Parks Canada staff, a steady stream of researchers and tourists visit the island, either to study its delicate ecosystem, or take in its remarkable landscape.