We strap our children into car seats and boosters, we make sure they get their vaccines, we make them wear bike helmets…yet everyday we send them off to school into buildings that will not withstand an earthquake.
In September a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck deep off the west coast of Vancouver Island. It didn’t cause any damage hundreds of kilometres away at Vancouver’s Kitsilano Secondary School but it did send ripples through the school and scared many students, teachers and parents. There are over 500 schools in B.C. at risk, 50 alone in the Greater Vancouver area that will not be able to handle even a moderate quake.
Experts warn that in the event of a collapse, other dangers will emerge, including exits jamming shut or collapsing, suffocation from dust and a toxic legacy from lead paint, asbestos and other materials. As Vancouver School Board Chair Patti Bacchus recently said, “earthquakes are a natural phenomenon, they rarely kill people but bad buildings do.”
What can you do?
Be Proactive…Be Prepared.
Have an emergency escape plan, practice it, have supplies for 3 to 7 days, take an emergency preparedness class.