06 December 2016 — The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver hosted a meeting on Emergency Preparedness in November 29.

The Honorable Naomi Yamamoto, Member of Legislative Assembly for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and British Columbia Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness, was the Guest Speaker.

The event was attended by leaders and members of various Filipino community organizations across Metro Vancouver and Victoria.

The meeting was organized in view of the potential risks faced by British Columbia residents from a massive earthquake, which experts believe has a 30% chance of happening in the next 50 years. A magnitude 9 earthquake could lead to widespread damage to infrastructure and loss of more than 10,000 lives. Vancouver Island also face great risks from a tsunami following a strong earthquake.

Minister Yamamoto informed the audience about the B.C. Government’s earthquake immediate response plan and the need for individual households and families to come up with their respective emergency plans, and to stock up first aid kits and provisions that could last for at least three days.

She mentioned some of the programs of the provincial government such as the Exercise Coastal Response, B.C’s first full-scale earthquake exercise and the Master of Disaster program, a new initiative to enhance emergency awareness among students.

Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer thanked Minister Yamamoto for agreeing to be the resource speaker on a major topic of relevance that should concern everyone. He underscored the importance of being prepared for emergencies, noting that emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time.

As British Columbia is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, he emphasized that it is essential for everyone to be prepared in the event of a catastrophic earthquake or other natural calamities hitting the province.

Consul General Ferrer encouraged all the participants to echo and share the information with their families and friends and with the rest of the community.

“We are all in this together, in ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone,” he said.

Emergency plans and guides are available from the website of PreparedBC (www.gov.bc.ca/preparedBC), the B.C. Government’s one-stop shop for disaster readiness information. END