Tsunami warning ends for B.C. coast after large Alaska quake

Tuesday, January 23, 2018, 6:28 PM - People in communities along the B.C. coast are none the worse for wear after a powerful quake off the coast of Alaska prompted a tsunami warning for much of the west coast of North America.

The tsunami warning initially covered B.C.'s North and Central Coast, Northeast Vancouver Island coast, including Kitimat, Bella Coola and Port Hardy due to a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck 280 km southeast of Kodiak, Alaska at 1:30 a.m. PST Tuesday. The warning did not include Vancouver.

The U.S. Geological Survey originally said the quake had a preliminary reading of 8.2., later downgrading to a magnitude 7.9 earthquake with a depth of 25 kilometres. It is not uncommon for earthquakes to be reviewed and adjusted in magnitude, once more information becomes available following the initial earthquake. Several aftershocks were then reported

Several communities in the affected areas activated their emergency plans, and most media accounts say authorities managed to get the word out quickly, from tsunami warning sirens to workers going door-to-door in at-risk areas.

"I think a lot of people in Tofino were ready for this. This town — over the past few years especially — has gotten more and more prepared," Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne told News 1130 early Tuesday

Residents along the province's coast say they were woken by warning sirens shortly after the earthquake struck at 1:30 a.m. PST. 

Anyone in a tsunami warning area was advised to evacuate inland or to higher ground. According to Dan Banks, a public works employee in Tofino, tsunami sirens went off on two of the main beaches of the town where most resorts are located and where many residents live.

Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s minister of public safety, said he was pleased not only with provincial and municipal authorities' response to the crisis, but also the general public, whom he said took the warnings seriously and followed instructions closely.

"I'm very pleased with that. But that having been said, you know, we will be doing a debrief, or a review, of what happened, and we re always looking at ways where we can improve procedures and protocols in the future," he told The Weather Network. "But today was a real-live test of our emergency system. I've very pleased with he way it went, and I'm also looking forward to how we can improve it."

VIDEO: Tsunami sirens went off in Kodiak, Alaska immediately following the earthquake

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