IBC supports B.C. government’s earthquake report

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is applauding the government of British Columbia’s earthquake preparedness report, which recommends that the provincial and federal governments engage with the insurance industry and other key stakeholders to develop a strategy on disaster resilience and increase public awareness on the need to prepare.

The B.C. government released the Earthquake Preparedness Consultation Report on Thursday.

“It’s clear, both from consultation chair Henry Renteria’s report and from previous reports on the subject, that more must be done at the individual level, and at all levels of government if B.C. is going to be adequately prepared for a major earthquake or other catastrophic disaster,” said a joint statement from the provincial Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Government Operations.

The statement said that the “province has begun or will begin shortly taking many important steps to prepare British Columbia in the event of ‘the Big One.’” Among the steps:

• An upgrade to the provincial emergency notification system (PENS), which provides new efficiencies to get tsunami notifications more quickly into the hands of emergency managers in B.C.’s coastal communities and media, so that they may alert citizens faster;

• Undertaking an analysis of the future of the 9-1-1 call answer service throughout B.C.;

• Increased capacity to support future provincial-level catastrophic event training and exercises;

• Provision of $50,000 to Ocean Networks Canada to support research for tsunami inundation maps, to assist long-term planning in vulnerable coastal communities in British Columbia; and

• Updates to the Earthquake and Tsunami Smart Manual, which includes important information for British Columbians to help get themselves prepared for a major earthquake or tsunami.

Related: Collaboration key to building resilient communities to withstand disasters

Bill Adams, vice president, western & pacific with IBC, said that the preparedness report is “an excellent framework for action” and that the IBC looks forward to working with the provincial and federal governments on implementing recommendations that help ensure that everyone is better prepared physically and financially. “Preparing Canadians for an earthquake is a strategic priority for Canada’s insurance industry,” he said. [click image below to enlarge]

Peter Anderson, an associate professor with the school of communication at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, agreed that the province should be commended for its work. “The modernization of the PENS alerting system speaks to the critical importance of communicating to emergency responders and key media so they can share information and keep people safe during a disaster,” he said in the joint statement. “We all know emergency preparation is a shared responsibility, and while the province has taken some significant steps recently, I know British Columbians – myself included – can also make a difference by having an earthquake kit, an emergency plan with our families and being ready to help out our neighbours in any disaster.”

Related: Many Canadians don’t believe damaging earthquake is imminent

The report echoes the prevailing theme of IBC’s earthquake symposium, which took place in Vancouver last October. The symposium, “Preparing Canada for an Earthquake – A National Conversation,” brought together experts from around the world to discuss how to strengthen Canada’s resilience to earthquake risk. An audience poll at the symposium showed that 89% of those who participated believed that the insurance industry should work with government to explore a public/private partnership to share earthquake risk.

Related: Updated earthquake model for Canada released by AIR Worldwide

In 2013, IBC released a study conducted by AIR Worldwide that estimated the overall costs following a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in British Columbia would be almost $75 billion.

“We all agree we must work together on meaningful solutions. We know our country is prone to earthquakes and we need to continue to build awareness that there is a significant risk,” Adams said. “Let’s use this report to frame our collective path of action.”