Canadian Forces on guard for 'Big One' earthquake in B.C.

The Canadian Armed Forces are prepared to deploy thousands of members if a catastrophic earthquake, colloquially known as The Big One, strikes the West Coast.

The military plan for response to such an earthquake in B.C. is code-named Operation Panorama.

Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Steve Jorgensen, the Esquimalt, B.C.-based officer in charge of implementing the domestic disaster response plan, said after a disaster occurred all of the 5,000 to 6,000 regular and reserve military members in B.C. would be required to report to their units immediately, after ensuring their own family members' safety. 

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A new study by structural engineers of potential earthquake damage to the city of Victoria, released last week, concluded that nearly 40 per cent of the city's buildings as well as much of the water and sewage infrastructure could be destroyed by a magnitude-9 megathrust earthquake centred off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The likelihood of that scenario occurring in the next 50 years in Victoria is five per cent, according to the study's co-author, Armin Bebamzadeh.

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