|
|
|
ABOUT
ESS
HISTORY
OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
For information
about major disasters in Canada (by province or territory), visit the
Natural
Hazards of Canada on the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Canada website.
 Major Forest Fires
| Date |
Population Affected |
Comments |
| August 2003 |
50,000 people evacuated |
Major forest fires south central regional of British Columbia. |
| August 1998 |
10,000 people evacuated |
Major forest fire in Salmon Arm. |
 Major
Earthquakes
| Date |
Magnitude |
Comments |
| June
24, 1970 |
7.4 |
South
of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Widely felt. |
| August
22, 1949 |
8.1 |
Pacific
Ocean, west of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Felt over a wide area
of western North America. Canada's largest earthquake. Some damage
on the Queen Charlotte Islands. |
| June
23, 1946 |
7.3 |
Central
Vancouver Island. Widely felt. Extensive damage along the east coast
of Vancouver Island; one person was drowned. |
| May
26, 1929 |
7.0 |
Pacific
Ocean, just south of the Queen Charlotte Islands. |
| December
6, 1918 |
6.9 |
Vancouver
Island. Widely felt. Some minor damage near Estevan Point. |
| February
4, 1918 |
6.0 |
Revelstoke,
B.C. felt in the B.C. interior. |
| January
11, 1909 |
6.0 |
Near
the south end of the Strait of Georgia at a depth of about 65 km.
Strongly felt in Canada, damage in the U.S.A. |
| December
15, 1872 |
7.4 |
Washington-British
Columbia border. Widely felt. |
| January
26, 1700 |
9.0 |
Cascadia
subduction zone, offshore of Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon.
Recorded widely in oral native accounts and by geological evidence
for subsidence and a tsunami along the outer coast; confirmed by
a tsunami record in Japan. Extent of damage is unknown. |
 Major
Flooding
| Date |
Estimated
Damage |
Comments |
| October 2003 |
$40
Million |
Squamish/Pemberton area where road washouts and community flooding impacted some 800 people. |
| 1948 |
$427
Million |
British
Columbia/May/Fraser River rose to within one foot of the 1894 level
and flooded more than 22,000 hectares. |
| 1894 |
Unknown |
British
Columbia/ The greatest Fraser River flood in the past century occurred
when the floodplain was sparsely populated and undeveloped. Had
the same flood stuck the lower Fraser in 2000, it could have caused
damages of $7.5 billion. |
 Hail
| Date |
Estimated
Damage |
Comments |
| August
1994 |
$11
million |
Salmon
Arm |
 Landslides
and Snow Avalanches
| Date |
Fatalities |
Comments |
| January 2005 |
1 |
North Vancouver Landslide. An enbankment cam down and impacted three homes and resulted in nine others being assessed as unsafe for occupation. |
| March 1991 |
9 |
Purcell Mountains. Snow avalanche struck helicopter skiing party. |
| June 1990 |
7 |
Joe Rich and Southern BC. Eight homes destroyed in four communities by mudslides. |
| October 1981 |
9 |
M-Creek Bridge, Highway 99. Cars plunge into creek after debris flow had destroyed bridge during heavy storm. |
| 1971 |
7 |
North Route Café. Snow avalanche destroyed café. |
| February 1965 |
26 |
Granduc Mine. Snow avalanche of mining camp. |
| January 1965 |
7 |
Ocean Falls. Avalanche struck community. |
| January 1965 |
4 |
Hope. Largest earth rock slide in the history of BC. |
| September 1964 |
5 |
Ramsay Arm. Debris flow caused by heavy rains struck logging camp. |
| November 1957 |
7 |
Prince Rupert. Avalanche triggered by heavy rains. |
| October 1921 |
37 |
Britannia Beach. Landslide swept more than 50 homes. |
| March 1916 |
56 |
Jane Camp. Rock avalanche onto mining camp. |
| March 1910 |
62 |
Rogers Pass. Workmen clearning snow from a previous avalanche buried by second avalanche. |
| November 1909 |
22 |
New Westminster. Slump of railway embankment led to train derailment. |
| August 1905 |
15 |
Spences Bridge. Landslide into Thompson River caused wave. |
| 1897 |
7 |
Red Mountain. Debris flow struck railway camp. |
| 1891 |
35 |
North Pacific Cannery. |
 Blizzards
| Date |
Estimated
Damage |
Comments |
| December
1996 |
$214
Million |
Southwestern
BC. Unusually heavy snowfall brought traffic and emergency response
service to a standstill. |
 Tsunamis
and Storm Surges
| Date |
Metres |
Comments |
| March
1964 |
2.4
to 6 |
BC’s
outer coast. An earthquake in Alaska caused waves over six metres
and destroyed 320 buildings in Port Alberni and causing $8.4 million
in damage. |
| 1960 |
1.2 |
BC’s
outer coast. An earthquake in Chile caused a 1.2 metre wave in Tofino. |
|
