Great news! Downgraded from evacuation to advisory! Here's the room :
91裸聊视频� Catherine Lempke (@Cat_Lempke)
Tofino and Ucluelet residents breathed a collective sigh of relief around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning as the Tsunami Warning that had evacuated them from their homes and into their community91裸聊视频檚 emergency muster stations was cancelled.
91裸聊视频淭he warning has been downscaled to an advisory. So, that91裸聊视频檚 good news91裸聊视频� Ucluelet91裸聊视频檚 Manager of Environmental and Emergency Services Karla Robison said into her megaphone at the Ucluelet Secondary School around 4:30 a.m. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e safe to go home.91裸聊视频�
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The school91裸聊视频檚 gym was packed as hundreds of community members had gathered after receiving alerts to evacuate after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit off Alaska around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Local police and members of the Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade were knocking on residents homes around 3 a.m. advising them to head to the gym.
After relaying the good news that the warning had been cancelled, Robison explained an advisory means to stay away from docks, shorelines and harbours.
91裸聊视频淎 warning means you need to evacuate, an advisory means you don91裸聊视频檛 go surfing, you don91裸聊视频檛 go hang out on the docks, you don91裸聊视频檛 go boating, you don91裸聊视频檛 go fishing,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎n advisory is just to stay away from the ocean because there could be some stronger currents and there could be some smaller-type surges, but no large waves.91裸聊视频�
An automated message from Tofino91裸聊视频檚 One Call emergency notification system went out at 4:42 a.m. advising Tofitians the Tsunami Warning had been cancelled.
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Ucluelet local Pieter Timmermans said he and his wife Barbara Schramm were in bed when they heard the tsunami siren.
91裸聊视频淲e thought, 91裸聊视频極kay, something91裸聊视频檚 going on,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淲e were waiting for a text to come through on the cell phone, but nothing came through so I called the local RCMP and they said, 91裸聊视频楾here91裸聊视频檚 a tsunami alert91裸聊视频� and we boogied out.91裸聊视频�
Schramm added that she was surprised a tsunami advisory wasn91裸聊视频檛 immediately posted on the district of Ucluelet91裸聊视频檚 website.
91裸聊视频淪till in my bed, I looked for that and there was no notice,91裸聊视频� she said.
Timmermans said he was in the school91裸聊视频檚 gym by the time he received an alert on his cell-phone and added he was impressed with how many people heeded the warning and made their way to the gym.
91裸聊视频淚t was really interesting to see everybody get up and at 91裸聊视频榚m and obey the warnings,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t was a good learning exercise. Even though the texts didn91裸聊视频檛 go out in time, I91裸聊视频檓 sure next time this will help iron out some of the wrinkles.91裸聊视频�
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91裸聊视频淚t was a really good drill,91裸聊视频� said Ukee local Julie Chernis. 91裸聊视频淣eighbours came to the door and pounded on our door and then, 10 minutes later, the fire department came91裸聊视频t was neighbour-to-neighbour. They were banging on the door. They knew we were there and they didn91裸聊视频檛 let up until we got up and said 91裸聊视频楬ey, we91裸聊视频檙e on the go.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
Julie91裸聊视频檚 husband Ed Chernis suggested he91裸聊视频檇 like to see a quicker alert from the district office next time.
91裸聊视频淲hat gets me is that, if the earthquake was at 1:30 a.m., why did the emergency notification from the district get to me at 3:49 a.m.?91裸聊视频� he asked. 91裸聊视频淚 had to rely on a neighbour to come pounding on our door to let us know.91裸聊视频�
Ucluelet Mayor Dianne St. Jacques told the Westerly News inside the gym that the community responded well to the event and that she and her team will discuss the evacuation event and ways to improve in the future.
91裸聊视频淚t was a very good dress rehearsal. As always, there are things to learn when these things happen so we91裸聊视频檒l definitely have a debrief with our gang here, but everybody was very professional and very calm and did what needed to be done. I think we91裸聊视频檙e on a good path with emergency preparedness,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淭he community did awesome91裸聊视频he firemen did a great job getting to all the low lying areas, evacuating everyone and getting them up here to this reception area. People were very patient and very calm. So I91裸聊视频檓 very impressed and, luckily, it turned out to be downgraded to just an advisory so we91裸聊视频檙e very grateful for that.91裸聊视频�
