By Dan Marshall

Large Scale Disaster Response Exercise in Port Alberni

Jun 7, 2016 | 1:31 PM

BC’s first ever provincially led earthquake response drill is underway in Port Alberni.

Nanaimo Emergency Program Manager Karen Lindsay says the four day exercise will involve several agencies from government, to the military, to social services and communications officers.

“It’s definitely the largest exercise that I’ve participated in,” said Lindsay.  “This is going to be taking everything and putting it all together with live injects and live communications.  You’ll really get the feel to be in an emergency situation where the stress levels are a little bit more amped up and there’s not as much control.”

The exercise will simulate a magnitude nine mega thrust earthquake and tsunami, notes Lindsay.

“It’s what they consider a full scale exercise.  They’ll have the boots on the ground so to speak and they’ll be bringing in a lot of different components.  Various areas for example a mobile hospital unit, military, ham operations, just to test and simulate what we’d be doing in an earthquake.”

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