SRD Testing West Coast Tsunami Warning Notification System

Next Monday, December 4^th at 7:00 pm the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) will be sending a test alert to the West Coast of Vancouver Island Tsunami Warning subscriber list through its free emergency notification system, Alertable.

Subscribers will receive a test alert via:

• SMS text;
• Phone call to cellphone and landline;
• Email or as a notification through the Alertable App; and
• Other methods such as Smart Speakers depending on how a subscriber has chosen to receive notifications.

The test is occurring during the evening to better ensure that people will directly receive and listen to the notifications sent to their landlines.

Testing of the Alertable system provides the opportunity to:

• Increase public awareness about the system and spark emergency preparedness conversations, so that everyone can be ready and prepared in the event of an actual Tsunami Warning;
• Validate the effectiveness and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as intended from end-to-end;
• Allow SRD Emergency Program staff to practice sending alerts to the public; and
• Provide the public with an opportunity to provide valuable feedback to SRD staff.

Only the SRD’s local notification system Alertable will be tested on December 4^th.  The following additional notification methods that would be activated during an actual Tsunami Warning will NOT be tested:

• Canadian Coast Guard – Marine Radio Channel 16
• Environment Canada – Weather Radio Channels
• Ministry of Emergency Management & Climate Readiness – Alert Ready
• Local Community – Tsunami Sirens

In preparation for this test the SRD encourages the public to:

• Download the free Alertable App from the App store;
• Ensure you are subscribed to receive notifications through Alertable by visiting srd.ca/alerts; and
• Check with your friends and family members in the SRD to see if they are also subscribed to Alertable.

The SRD reminds everyone that Alertable will likely only be utilized in the event of a distant tsunami that is generated from an area such as Alaska. If a very long earthquake occurs close to our coast (20 seconds or longer), there will be no time for an official warning to be issued due to infrastructure being critically damaged. You must rely on recognizing the natural warning signs of a tsunami.
An earthquake is the most likely natural warning sign that a tsunami is coming. Other natural warning signs include the ocean water moving far out exposing the sea floor or hearing an unusually load roar from the coast. If you are in a tsunami evacuation zone and observe any of these natural warnings, move to higher ground or inland as soon as it is safe to do so. There may be as little as 10 minutes between the earthquake and tsunami.

You are encouraged to share this message with friends, family and businesses on the West Coast and surrounding area.

Community Information – Estimated Tsunami Wave Height & Arrival Time

Community	Distant/Alaska Tsunami Arrival Time	Inundation Level	Local/Cascadia Tsunami Arrival Time	Inundation Level
Kyuquot	3 hours 4 minutes	4.7 meters	25 minutes	12.4 meters
Fair Harbour	3 hours 18 minutes	5.1 meters	45 minutes	6.9 meters
Oclucje	3 hours 20 minutes	3.4 meters	38 minutes	10.9 meters
Zeballos / Ehatis	3 hours 31 minutes	3.9 meters	46 minutes	6.8 meters
Tahsis	3 hours 41 minutes	5 meters	54 minutes	7.5 meters
Gold River Waterfront	3 hours 44 minutes	6.8 meters	59 minutes	11.2 meters
Yuquot	3 hours 36 minutes	2.9 meters	28 minutes	11.9 meters

Message Example for December 6^th, 2023 at 7:00pm

Headline – This is a TEST of the SRD’s Tsunami Warning Notification System for the West Coast of Vancouver Island. This is ONLY a TEST.

Description – This is a TEST. In an emergency this message would tell you what to do to stay safe. For more information about tsunami preparedness visit www.srd.ca/tsunami. This information could save your life.

Instructions

• To provide feedback on this test message email preparedness@srd.ca or call 250-830-6702.
• You do NOT need to take any action.
• Do NOT call 911 or emergency services.
• Do NOT evacuate.
• Save the number Alertable called you from as a contact titled ‘Emergency Notification’ in your mobile device.
• Visit srd.ca/tsunami to become better prepared for tsunami in the SRD

Media Contact: Shaun Koopman, Manager of Emergency Services             250-830-6702 | skoopman@srd.ca