The shaking started out lightly enough.
"Well, this isn't so bad," I thought to myself. "I don't even need to hang on."
That quickly changed, however, and as the Quake Cottage got into full swing, the shaking became more violent and I quickly grabbed onto the two handles for fear I would be pitched head first out of my seat.
I have lived more than half my life on the West Coast and have experienced, as many Lower Mainlanders have, a handful of mild tremors - the briefest of shaking that is more likely to leave one wondering if something really did happen than fearing for their safety. That's nothing compared to the Quake Cottage earthquake simulator, which was part of the Corporation of Delta's emergency preparedness event at Ladner's Harris Barn Monday.
The Quake Cottage simulates an earthquake and serves to spread awareness about earthquake preparedness, the importance of securing furniture and other items around the house or office, which could easily become airborne during a major earthquake, and motivate the community to get prepared.
Quake Cottage employee Shawn Ferry was on hand to man the controls and to talk about earthquakes. He explained the simulator was the equivalent of about an 8.0 magnitude quake. Ferry said the magnitude of an earthquake depends on how fast the ground moves when the Earth shifts, so not all 8.0 magnitude earthquakes feel the same.
From where I was sitting Monday afternoon, things seemed to be moving pretty fast. The shaking only lasted for 30 seconds, he said, but it seemed like a lot longer. While it wasn't scary — I was sitting down and knew it was about to happen — it was definitely disconcerting to think that, really, it could happen here at any time - without warning (and without having to sign a waiver beforehand).
And, Ferry explained, in the event of a major earthquake, significant damage can occur in less than a minute. In the case of the Loma Prieta 6.9 magnitude earthquake in California in 1989, which was famously captured on television during a live broadcast of Game 3 of the World Series between the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants, the shaking only lasted about 15 seconds but damage included the collapse of a portion of the Bay Bridge, which connects the two cities, and a major double-decker freeway in Oakland, which resulted in more than 40 deaths.
"We're never prepared for the earthquake before, we always prepare after," Ferry said.
Most people don't think "the big one" will ever happen, and when it does, many are not prepared.
The aim of the Quake Cottage, and Emergency Preparedness Week, is to get people thinking about being prepared. It's recommended that households be prepared to cope for at least the first 72 hours following a disaster when response efforts will be focused on those areas in urgent need. That means having enough food, water, medication and other essentials for everyone.
The Quake Cottage demonstration was part of Delta's event marking Emergency Preparedness Week, which is May 3 to 9 this year. The event included a variety of information booths covering emergency preparedness, from making sure all members of the family, including pets, will be taken care off to the Delta Police Department's Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program, which offers classes on working together in the event of an emergency.
For more information about emergency preparedness visit http://www.delta. ca/services/public-safety/emergency-preparedness.
