The world's largest earthquake drill is scheduled for 10:16 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Great B.C. Shakeout)

By Alex Rawnsley

drop, cover, hold on

‘We really would be overwhelmed:’ annual Shakeout reminding Nanaimo residents to be prepared

Oct 16, 2025 | 5:26 AM

NANAIMO — The province’s annual earthquake readiness drill goes on Thursday.

Organized by the British Columbia Earthquake Alliance, the Great B.C. Shakeout will see alerts sent out to all connected cell phones, as well as television and radio signals interrupted at 10:16 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, prompting people to drop, cover and hold on.

RDN fire services manager Steve Windsor told NanaimoNewsNOW preparation is a key aspect, considering most experts agree it’s not ‘if’ a major earthquake will strike, but rather ‘when’.

“It’s fairly clear throughout the province that if we do ever encounter the big one, an earthquake, that we really would be overwhelmed in the emergency services fairly quickly. We do have a very robust emergency management, fire departments, police and ambulance, but we are going to be taxed extremely in an event such as that.”

In the event of a major disaster, people are advised to try and be as self-sufficient as possible for upwards of two weeks.

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Windsor said this is to provide time to restore critical infrastructure like water, sewer, electricity and gas lines.

Having a plan in place ahead of time can be a big step in the right direction.

“That is everything from having a grab-and-go kit at home, but also having some of the essentials. Food and water, a flashlight and radio, seasonally appropriate clothing, blankets and first aid supplies, extra medications, and also ensuring that you have similar supplies for your pets.”

He said it’s good practice to always carry some cash in the event banks and/or ATM’s aren’t working, never letting a vehicle’s gas tank go below half and establish a contact person outside of B.C. to have key information if required.

These plans and best practices were put into action during the Wesley Ridge wildfire in the summer, which prompted evacuation orders for dozens of properties.

Windsor said the large-scale event saw a big increase in subscriptions to local emergency notifications through Voyent Alert!

Municipalities including the RDN, City of Nanaimo, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach all use the system to send messages to their residents in emergency situations.

“We found that a lot of people actually signed up during the fire at Wesley Ridge, and they would get notifications on their area as to whether an alert was being put in place or an evacuation order. It’s a way of getting that official notification of events that are happening in your area.”

Alerts sent on Thursday as part of the Shakeout will clearly label the notification as a drill, stating in the event of an actual emergency, potentially life-saving information would be delivered.

A sudden late February magnitude 4.8 tremor originating on the Sunshine Coast was widely felt throughout the mid-Island region.

No damage occurred from the relatively small earthquake, but it served as another reminder of living in an active seismic zone.

Something much bigger, such as a magnitude six or seven quake, could cause significantly more damage.

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