4.3 – magnitude earthquake in Canada
On Wednesday morning, a minor earthquake was felt off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The 4.3-magnitude earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, occurred at 2:04 a.m.
The epicentre of the earthquake was located 10 kilometres beneath the surface of the ocean, about 181 kilometres from Port McNeill, British Columbia.
There were no reports of anyone feeling the quake in Vancouver, but the recent major earthquake in Turkey worries British Columbia residents a big one could come close to their homes.
Could a major earthquake hit Canada?
Canada in one of the countries where a major earthquake could potentially happen. On August 22, 1949, off the coast of British Columbia, the greatest earthquake to strike Canada was 8.1 – magnitude 8.1, a bigger earthquake than the latest one in Turkey and Syria which killed over 52.000 people and damaged the infrastructure in hight of $100 billion. It happened on the Queen Charlotte Fault, which runs beneath the west coast of the Haida Gwaii (previously Queen Charlotte Islands) off the west coast of British Columbia. The Queen Charlotte Fault is Canada’s counterpart of the San Andreas Fault. On Haida Gwaii, the shaking was so intense that cows were pushed off their feet and a Geological Survey of Canada employee who was working on the northern end of Graham Island was unable to stand. At Cumshewa Inlet, chimneys fell and an oil tank collapsed.
READ MORE: Canadian Banks believe a wave of loan defaults is imminent
Turkey and Syrian still need help due to humanitarian crisis following the earthquake
In advance of a significant donor conference next week, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) official has estimated that the damage caused by the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey last month will exceed $100 billion. The shocks of February 6 killed more than 52,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria. Several people were buried or crushed while they slept.
According to Turkish government statistics, around two million survivors have been relocated to temporary housing or have been evacuated from the earthquake-devastated region. A total of 46,000 people have been relocated to container homes, while approximately 1.5 million people are living in tents. The government claims that others are residing in guesthouses and dorms.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia agreed to deposit $5 billion (€4.7 billion) in the Turkish central bank. A big step for Turkey on the path of recovery. Even after donations like these, Turkey and Syria have a long way to go when it comes to building homes and caring for people affected by the earthquakes.
Legal experts say that the UN’s delay in providing life-saving relief to Syrian victims of last month’s deadly earthquake was unjustified.
They claimed the UN could have employed a more expansive interpretation of international law and did not need to wait for approval from the Security Council or the Syrian government to enter.
It took the UN a week to obtain the president of Syria’s consent to open additional border crossings, allowing access to the opposition-controlled northwest.
Red Cross is advising everyone who can contribute to donations should do so as the humanitarian crisis is far from over.
