Sobering stuff...
I'd much rather be in New Zealand than B.C. when a big earthquake strikes
There’s a lot we can learn about earthquake preparedness from New Zealand
The law mandating seismic upgrades in B.C. is unclear. Certain schools and older buildings are regularly being upgraded but the decision seems to be at the discretion of the building owners, unlike New Zealand, where there are clear national building codes and continuous management and identification of earthquake-prone buildings.
As a public health researcher and former registered nurse, I see this as a public health issue that is preventable. Yet little has been done.
The results of The Big One will be catastrophic. There will be acute injuries and deaths from the estimated 150 buildings that will collapse on us. Sewage and water systems could fail. Overcrowding will lead to communicable diseases. Our hospitals will be overwhelmed: regular services will be interrupted, staff won't be able to access facilities and medical supplies could run out.
As with other crises, the hardest hit will likely be the most vulnerable, such as those housed in single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Downtown Eastside.
According to the 1994 "Declan study," 98 of the city's 171 designated SROs were given very poor seismic ratings. Twenty years later, a follow up by Postmedia News found most of those buildings had still not been upgraded. And it's not just the DTES. Postmedia's examination discovered hundreds of the city's buildings identified as seismic hazards in 1994 lacked upgrades, effectively putting thousands of people at extreme risk.