As part of Great ShakeOut 2017, the Campbell River Fire Department evacuated the No. 1 Firehall downtown and mustered at the curling club Thursday morning.
The exercise was in acknowledgement that the downtown and Campbelton areas of town will need to evacuate should “The Big One” hit, due to the very real possibility that the earthquake may cause the dam system to fail, inundating the area with up to 11 metres of water in short order.
A recent community emergency preparedness survey created by Strathcona Regional District Protective Services showed that almost 25 per cent of households within the inundation zone were completely unaware of this risk.
BC Hydro is very aware, however, and says they are doing all they can to mitigate that risk.
“BC Hydro has a capital plan to upgrade the facilities over the next 10-20 years,” says BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson, adding they are currently working on proposed seismic upgrade projects at the Strathcona Dam and the John Hart Dam, “and both may begin as early as 2021.”
The Great ShakeOut happens on the third Thursday of every October at 10:19 a.m. to remind the public that while we live in a beautiful region, there are dangers we need to be aware of.
Note: A previous version of this story stated that 80 per cent of respondents to the survey within the inundation zone were unaware of the possibility of the dam failing in the event of an earthquake. The Mirror apologizes for the error.