New report outlines what a major earthquake could do to Vancouver
The report suggests small actions can go a long way to reducing earthquake risk.
Over a thousand casualties, billions of dollars in damages, and widespread property destruction.
Those could be some of the effects of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Vancouver, according to a new report scheduled to be discussed with the city council on November 12.
Other findings from the report suggest a magnitude 7.2 earthquake could lead to:
Approximately 1,350 casualties.
Significant damage to 6,100 private buildings.
Financial losses of around $17 billion.
Displacement of more than one-third of residents and workers.
It's suggested that buildings built before 1990, and especially those built before 1973, are at the highest risk of sustaining damage. Nearly 70 per cent of at-risk populations are renters, and of that percentage, many are low-income, seniors, visible minorities, and/or Indigenous.
“Even a less intense earthquake, like the one used in the city’s 2019 VanSlam earthquake exercise, could leave as many as 25,000 residents and workers disrupted and displaced for more than three months, and cause as many as 200 severe injuries and fatalities,” reads an excerpt from the report.
The report's authors formed their conclusions using earthquake simulation software.
The research is intended to be used as a guide to put seismic risk reduction strategies in place before a major event takes place. The report argues that small, targeted actions can support long-term recovery.
Research predicts where the next 'big one' will occur
A study published this past summer has predicted the next major earthquake, often referred to as a "big one" is likely to occur close to Vancouver Island and Washington, but it's unclear when that event will occur.
"There's a huge range," John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, told Global News in June.
"We've had 19 [large earthquakes] during the past 10,000 years, so roughly every 4 or 500 [years]."
The last major earthquake along the fault line off the west coast happened roughly 324 years ago, in January 1700 with an estimated strength of magnitude 9.2.
VIDEO: Measuring earthquakes
Header image: File photo courtesy of Getty Signature Images via Canva Pro.
