Shaking from a 5.1 magnitude earthquake startled many Metro Vancouverites early Friday, Feb. 21 afternoon.
Earthquakes Canada says the tremor struck an area about 60 km west of the city of Vancouver and 35 km west of Squamish just before 1:30 p.m. on Friday. While the department hasn’t received any reports of damage, they said shaking was “lightly felt” across the Lower Mainland.
The tremor hasn’t caused a tsunami threat to B.C., according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it hasn’t received reports of calls, damage or injuries related to the earthquake. However, it will continue to monitor the situation and reminded locals to be prepared for earthquakes.
Metro Vancouver residents respond to Friday afternoon earthquake
Vancouverite Daniel Pierce tells V.I.A. he was working from home when he felt the rumble.
“My wife and I both felt it and our dog started barking. It was exciting, we wondered if another one would hit. So we immediately packed our bug-out bags in case we had to leave in a hurry.”
María García lives in the Kitsilano area and tells V.I.A. she was sitting on her bed when she felt the rumbling.
“I was sitting on my bed when all of a sudden my bed, desk, walls – basically everything – started to shake. It lasted for about two to three minutes. It was accompanied by a low-pitched groaning sound – almost as if the earth was yawning – although the sound was probably my house being like what is happening!”
Aliya Hussein was working in North Vancouver when she felt the quake.
“The whole building where I work was shaking. I thought my brain was playing tricks on me until my co-worker said she felt it too,” she tells V.I.A.
“I was not too scared but a little startled.”
Melissa Mesidor tells V.I.A. she’s used to shaking as she lives near a train, but this felt different.
“It felt like the whole house was slowly swaying from side to side, with a deep, rumbling sound. Being new to the coast, it was the first time we’d ever felt anything like it. [It was] definitely weird,” she explained.
The Maple Ridge resident added that her golden lab kept snoozing away on the couch throughout the shaking.
Kathy Coles lives in North Vancouver and said she was quite alarmed after she felt a second shake.
“It shuddered once and I thought, ‘Oh my god what was that! did a truck hit this building? And then after the second shudder, I knew it was an earthquake,” she tells V.I.A.
“I have a lamp on a table that was shaking back and forth and I’m on the third floor. It was quite scary.”
Coles said she went into her hallway and a neighbour told her they could see windows shaking across the street in another building.
Heinie Enslin tells V.I.A. he was away from his desk while working in a second-floor office in Burnaby when he started to feel the tremor.
“I started feeling the floor reacting to, what I thought was a delivery truck backing up into our wall. However, I saw that the computer monitor started to shake and realized this was more serious. The thought occurred to me that this might be an earthquake tremor and [was] confirmed when I heard the question come from my colleague’s cubicle. They asked if I also felt the tremor,” he explained.
“It didn’t last very long – perhaps 15 to 20 seconds – but I felt it strongly enough to set my sights on my escape route. Then the wait started to see if any further, perhaps larger tremors would follow.”
Many locals are concerned about The Big One and earthquake preparedness
Vancouverite Ajay Sharma says his initial thought was that there was an accident across the street at a construction site.
“This felt like a dropping sensation as opposed to the traditional swaying,” he tells V.I.A. “Then I felt anxious…the uncertainty of what may happen. Is it a precursor to a bigger earthquake?
“I really felt as though we aren’t truly prepared for the big one as I saw neighbours running into the street. It was certainly uncomfortable and unnerving. I truly don’t feel as a municipality we are prepared for a disaster situation.”
New Westminster resident Jessica Craig says she felt it and was afraid about a possible bigger earthquake.
“I think the first (thing) that comes to mind is, ‘Is it leading to the big one?'” she tells V.I.A. “Then…I really have to pack that earthquake kit with supplies.”
Tammy Morris is the owner of Be1 Fitness in Mount Pleasant and said she was sitting on the floor of the studio when she felt the “whole building shake.”
“I instantly thought that they must be drilling underground for the Broadway Corridor SkyTrain so I went and looked out the window and when there was no work being done, that’s when I realized it was an earthquake,” she tells V.I.A.
Emergency Info BC Earthquake tips
Emergency Info BC recommends staying calm if you feel shaking and for you to drop, cover and hold on. Once the shaking stops, count to 60 before getting up. You should also put on protective shoes and clothing as soon as possible. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.
The department also advises that you check for unstable objects and other hazards above and around you. If you smell gas or rotten eggs, leave the building immediately. Call 9-1-1 or your gas company’s emergency phone number.
The B.C. government has instructions online for building an emergency kit and a grab-and-go bag. How prepared did you feel when the earthquake hit B.C. on Friday?view related story Very prepared—I have a plan and supplies. Somewhat prepared—I know what to do but lack supplies. Not prepared—I’ve never thought about it. Completely unprepared—I have no idea what to do.
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