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EARTHQUAKE NEWS RELEASE
At 4:10 pm this afternoon, the Lower
Mainland experienced a major earthquake registering 7.1 on the Richter Scale.
Eye witnesses have reported that the
centre span of the Lions Gate Bridge, one of the major bridges to the North
Shore, has broken away from the main span.
Several cars and trucks were seen
falling from the damaged bridge.
Other areas reporting major damage
include flooding into the Deas Island Tunnel, a major crack in the Capilano Dam
in North Vancouver, major damage to the ALRT and Skytrain both the rail system
and the tunnels plus the Port Mann Bridge.
All bridges, overpasses and tunnels are
closed until further notice in order to assess the damage.
The damage from the earthquake has also
disrupted power and utilities in many areas of the city.
Health officials are advising not to
flush toilets or drink water from taps as wide spread contamination has
occurred. They advise only to drink
bottled water previously stored.
Emergency Social Services, the agency
responsible for earthquake after care, has advised that none of the designated
reception centres will be functioning until an assessment is made to determine
which centres to open and staff and supplies are moved in. This will take approximately 2 to 3 days.
Fires, due to damage to natural gas
lines have broken out all over the city. Fire
fighters are hampered in their attempts to reach these critical areas by downed
power lines and grid locked traffic.
Officials are telling everyone to stay
put at this time and to stay off the phone as most systems are overloaded or
down.
Stay tuned to your radio for further
updates.
Your Emergency Supplies
Be prepared to be on your own without
help for 72 hours or more – at home, in your car, at work. Assemble these emergency supplies and keep them in your
emergency kit, stored in a secure place, ideally accessible from outside.
-
First
Aid Kit (includes good scissors/extra thick dressings etc.)
-
Shelter
(tarps, small tent, emergency ‘space’ blankets, or even some large
garbage bags
-
Water
(at least 4 litres per person per day) *if you don’t store water then
consider the alternatives ie. Water purification tablets, bleach (know the
procedures and amounts); boiling water is too inefficient ie. Need fuel,
camp stove, pot etc.
-
Food
(canned/dried fruit/nuts/energy bars etc.) + can opener; spoons; paper
plates, cups etc.
-
Flashlight
and spare batteries
-
Battery
AM/FM radio and spare batteries
-
Essential
medications and supplies for infants, elderly and those with special needs
(*copies for prescriptions for medicine and glasses; medical information)
-
Personal
toiletry items
-
Class
ABC fire extinguisher
-
Wrench
(or gas shut-off wrench); water key
-
Shoes
(comfortable walking shoes)
-
Extra
pair of eye glasses; contact lens solution
Other items you may wish to
include…
-
Gloves,
outdoor/winter clothing (toques etc.); waterproof ponchos
-
Waterproof
matches and candles (short, squat/not tapers); supply of lightsticks (check
expiry dates)
-
Money
including coins (phones etc., bank machines will probably not be usable)
-
Sleeping
bags
-
Garbage
bags; hydrated garden lime (*for solid wastes); rubber gloves; liquid
soap/paper towels/tissues
-
A
portable toilet; toilet tissue; towelettes; baggies; soap *hand washing
supplies
-
Polypropylene
rope (50’), duct tape, flagging tape to identify unsafe areas
-
A
crowbar or prybar; consider other tools – collapsible shovel, multi-blade
knife
-
A
gasoline generator and a rated extension cord (fuel)
-
Earthquake
buddies for children (eg. stuffed animals, doll, game; family photos)
-
Evacuation
pack for each person (warm clothing ie socks/change of clothes etc.)
-
Vehicle
pack for each vehicle (consider booster cables, tools) *maps/road flares
-
Dust
mask/goggles/work gloves
-
Whistle
-
Paper,
notebook, pen/pencil, important phone numbers (out of area contact number
etc.)
-
Provisions
for pets (food, carrier etc.)
-
Rubber
tubing/hoses for siphoning gas/water
-
Plastic
sheeting to cover shattered windows/push pins/hammer/nails or staple gun
Portable heating system (charged
batteries)
