Some residents in southwestern British Columbia are sounding the alarm after reports of sporadic and inconsistent alerts from the national early warning system during the 4.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday.

Complaints first surfaced on social media after the quake centred 24 kilometres north-northeast of Sechelt, B.C., on the Sunshine Coast struck Friday afternoon, with several residents saying they didnB次元官网网址檛 receive an alert from the Earthquake Early Warning system.

Among them was Campbell River, B.C., teacher and first aid attendant Nat Raedwulf Pogue, who was at her workplace at a local school when the quake struck and only received confirmation of the earthquake after a colleague actively searched for information online.

B次元官网网址淚t was enough where my desk was shaking, my walls were shaking,B次元官网网址� Raedwulf Pogue said of the severity of the shaking. B次元官网网址淚 came into contact with maybe five or six colleagues immediately afterwards, and none of them had confirmation an earthquake had happened.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know of anyone in my immediate vicinity who got an alert.B次元官网网址�

Other reports on social media platforms such as X and Facebook showed people receiving alerts 15 to 22 minutes after the shaking, while others reported receiving no warning at all where B次元官网网址� in some cases B次元官网网址� spouses in the same household did receive the alert.

Natural Resources Canada seismologist Alison Bird said Saturday that the alerts sent from the ministryB次元官网网址檚 Earthquake Early Warning system B次元官网网址渁re being evaluated.B次元官网网址�

But she noted that the timing of when people would receive a warning depends on both their distance from the earthquake and how they receive the alerts.

Bird said the alerts on Friday were only issued in an area around the quakeB次元官网网址檚 epicentre B次元官网网址� located on the Sunshine Coast B次元官网网址� where B次元官网网址渟trong shakingB次元官网网址� was expected, but some people outside the zone may have also received those warnings.

B次元官网网址淪ome people outside the area for EEW alerting may have received the alert because their device was able to receive a signal from a cell tower that is within the EEW area,B次元官网网址� Bird said in a written response. B次元官网网址淓veryone within the area of strong shaking B次元官网网址� should have received the alert, however.B次元官网网址�

Bird also said there may be confusion over the federally sent alerts specific to earthquakes and the provincial system B次元官网网址� which notifies residents of B次元官网网址渟ignificant eventsB次元官网网址� that may also include wildfires and other disasters.

B.C. legislative assembly member Brennan Day said he was in Courtenay, B.C., on Vancouver Island on Friday, and he did not know there was an earthquake until he received a text from his father in nearby Dove Creek who felt the shaking but got no warning.

B次元官网网址淢y wife was at a clientB次元官网网址檚 house B次元官网网址� and weB次元官网网址檙e on the same (mobile service) plan B次元官网网址� she got an alert about two or three seconds before the earthquake actually started, which is fantastic,B次元官网网址� Day said. B次元官网网址淏ut I was 10 kilometres away didnB次元官网网址檛 get an alert.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of people I know in the (Comox) Valley B次元官网网址� are now commenting itB次元官网网址檚 completely hit-or-miss, whether they got an alert or not. So I think thereB次元官网网址檚 some a serious look that needs to be taken at the emergency alert system, because if itB次元官网网址檚 done geographically, everybody on certain cellphone towers should have gotten that alert, and that just didnB次元官网网址檛 happen.B次元官网网址�

Day, a B.C. Conservative member representing Courtenay-Comox in the provincial legislature, said the region was lucky the warning system B次元官网网址済ot a trial runB次元官网网址� before a larger earthquake struck, but added the sporadic warnings were B次元官网网址渁bsolutely a huge concern.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淎t the end of the day, if we have a massive earthquake, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be the matter of life and death whether we can respond B次元官网网址� get under a table, get yourself to a safer position B次元官网网址� in advance,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址�(The province) has an emergency preparedness plan, but it needs to work B次元官网网址� seconds matter.B次元官网网址�

FridayB次元官网网址檚 earthquake has been followed by a number of aftershocks between 1.0 and 2.0 in strength, and there has been no report of damage from the quake that occurred at 1:26 p.m. local time at a depth of about one kilometre.

Raedwulf Pogue, a learning support teacher who works with students with disabilities, said it is especially critical for warning systems to function properly in cases similar to hers, since some have already expressed uneasiness after the shaking Friday.

B次元官网网址淚 did have a few students who were quite anxious about what happened and just needed confirmation B次元官网网址� that yes, it happened, because they really werenB次元官网网址檛 sure B次元官网网址� and also that they were OK,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淲e have students with mobility disability, so we would actually need more time to get them into a safe location. And we have students with developmental disabilities where even if their mobility isnB次元官网网址檛 impacted by their disability, they would need more assurance and more heads-up about whatB次元官网网址檚 happening.

B次元官网网址淭he more time we have to provide them with what they need to move to a safer spot would prevent, hopefully, injury and limit the danger.B次元官网网址�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2025.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press