Montreal experienced a 3.3 Magnitude earthquake today (March 6^th 2020). The earthquake was strong enough to wake up some residents, but not enough to cause any damage. This is the kind of earthquake that most of us in the industry are happy to see happen. These small earthquakes that are strong enough to feel, and they play an important role in reminding residents in eastern Canada and the United states that earthquakes don’t just happen along the pacific rim of fire! These reminder quakes serve an important purpose, to bring earthquake hazard forward in our minds, so we can better prepare for them. We tend to be well prepared for large winter storms or particularly bad summer heat waves because we experience them to some extent every year, and these small quakes are similarly useful.

Considering that an assessment of Canada’s earthquake risk has shown that after Vancouver, Montreal is at the highest risk of significant damage: the reminder couldn’t have come at a better time. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated that a 7.1 earthquake along the Quebec City-Montreal-Ottawa Corridor would cost roughly 61 Billion$ and that the risk in Montreal is estimated at approximately 43 Billion$ You can find the full report here

While the provincial and federal governments have been hard at work retrofitting important post disaster structures such as hospitals in order to be better prepared, however we’re not ready yet. More concerning is that unlike our fellow Canadians and Americans on the west coast, we lack school retrofitting programs and Nursing home retrofitting programs here on the East coast.

Of increasing concern is that experts such as Dr.Adams, a prominent seismologist with the Geological Survey of Canada, have evaluated that our seismic risk has potentially been underestimated by as much as 40% in the East (e.g. increased seismic hazard in Montreal and Ottawa ). This would mean increased seismic forces with respect to our current building code and a higher risk than when the 2013 IBC seismic assessment was carried by the IBC. Even buildings that have been retrofitted may not be quite ready for eventual big one given these new estimates.

So, what can we do to be better prepared? The first step is to have a plan. Sit down with your family, practice an earthquake drill. Determine if your home or office is at risk of collapse and if so, know that you should evacuate it as quickly as possible following a major earthquake. When you’re looking for a new home look for more resilient one, simply ask what type of seismic performance has been considered if you’re considering a new construction.

There are many ways to prepare but it always starts with awareness, so let’s be thankful for these reminder earthquakes that get sent our way every few years.