Tsunami Safety on the Coast
A tsunami risk on Vancouver Island comes mostly from a large offshore earthquake. The shaking is your warning. If you are on a beach, dock or low shoreline and the ground shakes hard or for a long time, move to high ground as soon as it is safe to walk.
Different living situations
No house, car, garage or credit card assumed.
House or apartment
You likely have the most storage. Keep supplies near an exit, not in a locked shed or a deep basement you may not be able to reach.
Single rented room
Think in one tote and one backpack. Under the bed and the back of a closet are your storage. Flat, stackable items beat bulky ones.
Shelter or supportive housing
Ask staff about the building's emergency plan, exits and medication storage. Keep a small personal pouch with ID copies, meds and phone charger on you.
Vehicle
Keep weight low and spread out. Water, warm layers, a light and a phone charger matter most. Never cook or run a heater inside a closed vehicle.
Tent or sleeping outside
Dry beats big. Prioritise waterproofing, warmth off the ground, a light, water and a whistle. Keep the essentials in one bag you can grab and carry.
Workplace or school
A small desk or locker kit — water, a snack, a light, comfortable shoes, meds and a contact card — covers most of what you'd need to get home.
Moving between places
Carry your plan on paper and in your phone. Copies of ID, a contact card and your medication list travel with you; bulk supplies stay with someone you trust.
Accessibility, health and medication
- Mobility: keep supplies at waist height and in a bag you can pull or carry. Store a spare cane, walker part or wheelchair repair kit if you rely on one.
- Vision: label items with large print or texture tape and keep a torch and spare glasses in a fixed, known spot.
- Hearing: turn on text-based emergency alerts, keep a written note card of key needs, and ask someone to text you rather than call.
- Cognitive: use a short one-page plan with pictures or few words. Practise the first three steps only.
- Medication: keep a written list of names, doses and prescriber. Ask your pharmacy about an emergency supply.
- Refrigerated medication: keep a small cooler and ice packs ready, know how long your medication stays usable warm, and ask your pharmacist to confirm.
- Powered equipment (oxygen, CPAP, lifts): register with BC Hydro's medical program, keep a charged backup battery, and know the nearest place with power.
- Service animals: pack water, food, and a copy of vaccination records; a service animal is allowed with you in reception centres.
- Mental health: emergencies make everything louder. Slow down, use the grounding steps, and reach a crisis line at 988 or 1-888-494-3888.
- Substance use: never use alone during a disruption. Carry naloxone, and check it hasn't expired.
- Limited English or reading: use picture cards, keep translated key phrases, and ask an outreach worker to help write your plan.
🚫 Mistakes to avoid
- Do not wait for a perfect kit. A half kit today beats a perfect kit next year.
- Do not skip rent, food or medication to buy survival gear.
- Do not run a generator, barbecue, camp stove or charcoal indoors, in a tent, or in a vehicle — carbon monoxide is invisible and fatal.
- Do not store everything in one place you might not be able to reach.
- Do not rely only on your phone; batteries die and networks jam.
- Do not drive or walk into moving water, smoke, or past a barricade.
☎️ Numbers worth writing down
- Fire, police, ambulance: 911 — Life-threatening emergency, fire, or someone not breathing.
- HealthLink BC: 811 — Free 24/7 nurse advice when you're not sure it's a 911 situation.
- Poison control (BC): 1-800-567-8911 — Swallowed, breathed in, or spilled anything harmful.
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988 — Call or text, 24/7, anywhere in Canada.
- Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888 — 24/7 local mental-health and emotional support.
- BC Hydro outages: 1-888-769-3766 — Report an outage or a downed line (stay 10 m back).
- Emergency Info BC: EmergencyInfoBC.gov.bc.ca — Current evacuation alerts and orders.
Personal notes: ______________________________________________
Date last checked: ____________________
Key takeaways
- Long or violent shaking near the water = move inland or uphill immediately.
- Do not wait for an official alert; the first wave can arrive before one is issued.
- Cowichan Bay, Crofton, Chemainus, Mill Bay and Maple Bay have low shoreline areas — know where the high ground is before you need it.
Step-by-step
- Get off the shoreline. Move on foot if you can. Roads jam quickly and walking is often faster than driving out of a small coastal community.
- Go up, then inland. Height matters more than distance. If there is no hill, go as far inland as you can, or to the upper floors of a strong concrete building as a last resort.
- Stay up for hours. Waves arrive in a series. The later waves are often larger. Wait for officials to say it is over — not for the water to look calm.
- Watch for natural signs. Water pulling far back from the shore, or a loud roar from the ocean, means leave now.
- Afterward. Stay away from debris, damaged docks and floodwater. Salt water ruins wells, food and electrical gear — do not drink or cook with it.
✅ Printable checklist
- Know two routes to high ground from home, work and the beach
- Grab-bag light enough to carry uphill on foot
- Sturdy shoes and a rain layer
- Meeting place on high ground agreed with family
- Battery or crank radio for official updates