Are you prepared for another tsunami warning?

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake near Sand Point Alaska at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 19) triggered a tsunami warning for that area and put B.C.B次元官网网址檚 coast on alert.

Nearly two hours later Emergency Management B.C. confirmed the all-clear, but many Greater Victoria residents were left wondering and searching for more information.

READ MORE: No tsunami threat in B.C. after 7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Alaska

In January 2018, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Alaska trigger a tsunami warning for Greater Victoria at approximately 2 a.m. While the warning was eventually called off, it gave local emergency personnel a chance to practice their emergency response plans with residents evacuated in some low lying areas such as the Esquimalt Lagoon.

During the 2018 warning, 276 911 calls were made locally B次元官网网址渁nd that was in the middle of the night,B次元官网网址� said Sarah Hunn, VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 emergency management community liaison. B次元官网网址淧eople were calling 911 to ask about the tsunami B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 not a means to get information,B次元官网网址� she emphasized. B次元官网网址淲e see in other disasters the 911 system get overloaded and crash.B次元官网网址�

Many residents also jumped into their vehicles and fled to higher ground, whether that was the top of a local mountain or the Malahat.

B次元官网网址淧eople werenB次元官网网址檛 identifying what high ground was,B次元官网网址� explained Geoff Amy, ColwoodB次元官网网址檚 emergency program coordinator. B次元官网网址淵ou donB次元官网网址檛 need to go very far up Lagoon Road [in Colwood].B次元官网网址�

READ MORE: Tsunami risk from Sooke to Sidney

In the event of a magnitude 9 earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the CRD predicts a tsunami would reach Port Renfrew in approximately 35 minutes with wave heights of up to 11.5 feet (3.5 metres), followed by Sooke Harbour within 60 minutes with waves of over eight feet (2.5 metres) and the Esquimalt and Victoria harbours in 76 minutes with respective wave heights of nearly nine feet (2.7 metres) and eight feet (2.5 metres). It would then reach Cadboro Bay within 90 minutes and Sidney within 110 minutes, with both expected to see waves up to 6.6 feet (two metres).

The CRD considers four metres B次元官网网址� 13 feet above sea level B次元官网网址� to be a safe distance.

After the 2018 warning, the City of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 alert system went from approximately 6,000 subscribers to 60,000 within a week.

Different areas also offer alert systems for residents to subscribe to. For example, Colwood, Langford, View Royal and Highlands have partnered on a system called Westshore Alert. The CRD and Township of Esquimalt also offer alert systems for residents.

These localized alert systems are designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts for events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, evacuation notice or other safety threats. Participation is voluntary and all information is confidential. To learn more about these systems, check out pages 27 and 28 of the .

Five tsunami notification zones divide B.C.B次元官网网址檚 coastal communities. When tsunami warnings, watches or advisories are issued, they may make reference to these notification zones, so it is important to know if your home or office falls within one.

Three of the five apply to areas within the Capital Region. They include Zone C B次元官网网址� the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, including Port Renfrew (each zone includes all islands and inlets within it); Zone D B次元官网网址� the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula; and Zone E B次元官网网址� the Strait of Georgia including the Gulf Islands.

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This information was pulled from part three of a special eight-part series by Black Press Media on emergency preparedness in Greater Victoria. You can find the full article here and the . You can also find Black Press MediaB次元官网网址檚 Be Ready emergency preparedness guide