Preparing coastal businesses for the big one—a major earthquake
After witnessing the devastating effects of the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, it’s become increasingly difficult to deny the importance of planning and preparing for an earthquake. The Pacific Coast of British Columbia, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, is the most earthquake-prone region of Canada with damaging earthquakes occurring approximately once every 20 years.
Preparing for the big one
While BC’s building codes may help ensure our building stock fares better than the massive destruction caused by Turkey’s quake, many pre-1970 buildings may not survive. A 2022 report from Emergency Management BC3 predicts that a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Metro Vancouver could result in the loss of 10,000 buildings and 30 billion dollars in damage. Here are a few things to consider when preparing for earthquakes in your emergency management and business continuity plans:
Managing earthquake risks outside your office building
Awareness is key. And by assessing earthquake-related hazards, you can plan and take advance action to limit damages to your business.
First off, consider your geographic location. Are you located in an area where your office is at risk of an earthquake-triggered landslide? Does the building have brick façade? Older buildings with brick façades and/or non-ductile construction may experience considerable damage. By assessing earthquake-related hazards, you can plan and take advance action to limit the damage they may cause to your business.
Secondly, make sure you have a contact list for all your employees. The list should include the following information for each employee:
landline phone number
cell phone number
work email
personal email
social media feed handles (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok) to enable direct messaging as an alternate to phones
emergency contact for the employee (name and contact method)
Make sure the list is available in hardcopy form (computers may be damaged or offline after an earthquake) and that its location is known to all. Hardcopies available to managers both at the office and at home would be best.
Managing earthquake risks inside your office building
Consider office preparatory steps in your plan. By organizing what you need and knowing the steps in advance, you can help lessen the impact on your business. Some simple, low-cost steps you can take include:
fastening shelves, and other tall, free-standing objects, to wall studs to prevent them from toppling during the shaking
identifying safe places in each room where you can drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops
ensuring you have an office emergency kit
having extra face masks, hand sanitizer and even latex gloves on hand; you can include them in your office earthquake kit
knowing and practicing emergency evacuation plans
Consider earthquake insurance
We recommend speaking to your insurance broker to see if an earthquake insurance policy is right for your business and to find out what would be covered, such as physical damages or business interruption.
Contact us for customized emergency management and business continuity planning
How can you ensure your business is prepared for a natural events such as an earthquake, flood or tsunami? Our emergency management and business continuity team bring a diversity of experience and expertise to the task. And we can customize a plan appropriate for your business. Contact us today and let’s get the conversation started.