Having a plan in place for a disaster should be on everyone's to-do list and an event in Coquitlam this Wednesday, May 6 will be a good, shaking and shuddering reminder.
For Emergency Preparedness Week (May 3 to 9), the cities of Coquitlam and Port Moody are inviting residents and businesses to experience a simulated 8.0 magnitude earthquake.
Members of the public are invited to visit the southwest corner of Coquitlam Centre mall's parking lot to experience the Quake Cottage, a hydraulic, portable room that rocks and shakes to simulate how it would feel to be in an earthquake of up to eight points on the magnitude scale.
The Quake Cottage is visiting the Lower Mainland thanks to sponsorship from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Fortis BC and participating municipalities.
Several groups, including Coquitlam Search and Rescue, Coquitlam and Port Moody fire departments and the Red Cross will be on hand to provide information about how individuals, families and businesses can prepare for an emergency. In the case of a disaster such as a major earthquake, everyone is expected to take care of their own basic needs for at least the first 72 hours following it.
The event is especially timely given last Saturday's earthquake in Nepal, which was recorded as having a magnitude of 7.8 and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
