News & Events
Emergencies can be directly health-related, such as pandemic influenza or COVID-19.
More often, emergencies are related to events that have health consequences, such as earthquakes and severe weather events.
There are steps you can take to be prepared in the event of an emergency.
Shakeout BC
Did you know? The Pacific Coast is the most earthquake prone region in Canada, with seismologists recording over 2,500 each year.
The Great British Columbia ShakeOut ™ - or Shakeout BC - is an annual event that gives us the opportunity to practice how to be safer and to test our emergency preparedness during big earthquakes.
Island Health will be participating again this year on Thursday, October 19, starting at 10:19am.
Last year over 700,000 people in British Columbia participated.
Register to be a part of this important event, help spread the news, and get prepared.
Know the risks
The best action for the citizens of BC to take at this time is to be prepared for an earthquake or tsunami.
Learn more about hazards and risks in BC
Learn about natural disasters and what you can expect.
Video: Reality check
Understand your options for communication and information during a major disaster.
Video: Communication may be impossible
Prepare at home
Update and refresh your home preparedness kit and family preparedness plan using these resources:
Video: Making a family emergency plan
Video: Preparing an emergency kit
Sign up for alerts
Follow @EmergencyInfoBC on Twitter and be sure to visit their emergency resources web page for more ways to receive notifications.
Are you an Island Health employee?
- Visit our Intranet site.
- Watch the full Emergency Management video