Shock Wave

Three earthquakes hit the B.C. coast this morning. They were a magnitude of 6.6, 3 and 5.7 on the Richter scale. No tsunami has been seen or is expected. Hopefully, we are ready for the big tremor that can come to B.C. at any given moment. Scientists think it can be in a second, a minute or even in ten years. But this one's overdue. I don't know much about preparations in B.C. but I hope those people will survive everything. Click here to read and see a documentary on this mega earthquake.

Stephane Mazzotti of the Geological Survey of Canada called the quake and its aftershocks a major event, but not all that unusual.

"It's not very surprising actually. That particular area of the southern end of the Queen Charlottes is very active when it comes to earthquakes, and it has moderate to large seismic activity on a quite regular basis," said Mazzotti.'

 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/17/bc-north-coast-earthquake.html

The crack in the ocean floor from Cape Mendocino, California to central Vancouver Island is nearly identical to the subduction zone that ruptured off Sumatra, which led to the tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people. The Pacific Northwest can expect a nearly identical earthquake. Five major cities (Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Portland and Sacramento) plus hundreds of small towns along a thousand kilometres of coastline will be heavily damaged. The first tsunami waves will hit the beach twenty minutes later.

But Shock Wave is not just another "doomsday flick." It's the story of people on the front lines of science, engineering and emergency planning who, along with thousands of volunteers, are finding ways to help our communities survive the next rupture.