Shake, rattle and roll..But for earthquake preparedness, the BC government calls it “drop, cover and hold on.”. Earthquake AlbertBCs Great Shake Down .That’s because Natural Resources Canada today announced it selected Tel Aviv University (TAU) to develop software aimed at improving the country’s earthquake early warning systems that link arrays of sensor stations, particularly on the West Coast..Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but in 2019 NRCan committed $151 million over five years to build the system, which consists of hundreds of remote sensors along the coast, including BC Ferries terminals. .The software will tie them all together. The system was developed by Tel Aviv University in collaboration with SeismicAI, an Israeli high tech company specializing in early warning technology. SeismicAI has an exclusive licence for the system and has successfully deployed and tested it around the world, NRCan said in a release. . EarthquakeEarthquake early warning system ."We are pleased to bring Tel Aviv University's world-leading expertise to Canada, helping us gain access to the earliest, most accurate alerts for earthquakes and tsunamis,” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a statement. .When the full system is online in 2024, more than 10 million people in Canada living in the most earthquake-prone regions of the country — i.e. British Columbia — will receive Earthquake Early Warning alerts, providing a few precious seconds to take action..Alerts from the EEW system could also be used by infrastructure safety systems to take action automatically, such as: triggering trains to slow down; stopping traffic from driving onto bridges or into tunnels; diverting incoming air traffic; allowing surgeons to stop surgery; closing gas valves; and opening fire hall and ambulance bay doors..There are approximately 5,000 earthquakes across Canada each year. Earthquakes can damage infrastructure, destroy buildings, cause power outages, displace communities and even lead to fatalities..Earthquakes in Canada are most common along the Pacific Coast and in the Yukon Territory, but 20% also occur along the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River valleys..The largest temblor in Canadian history took place Jan. 26, 1700, when a magnitude 9 earthquake (similar to the 2011 Fukushima earthquake that killed 19,759 people) shook the entire province as well as Washington, Oregon, and California, and generated a massive tsunami that was recorded in Japan..To raise awareness, the BC government adopted an annual earthquake drill it claims is the world’s largest dubbed the great ‘Shake Out’.
