Re: “Tsunami threat tests preparedness of communities and residents alike,” Jan. 24.
We went to Tofino on Jan. 22 for storm-watching with a couple of friends.
The weekend storms had pretty well died out by the time we got there. Just our luck. So we had to be satisfied with a tsunami. Or at least a tsunami warning, which ain’t bad if you’ve never been in one.
Which we hadn’t.
The report of the situation is not quite what we saw. But then we were in just one of two (three?) shelters.
There was no panic, no nervousness, children were quiet and sat and talked with one another, dogs were calm. We were in a school gym; there were chairs and mats. Some people stood outside. We got regular updates.
Where things do need to improve is in giving directions to the shelters.
The sirens went off about 2 a.m. We had a phone call telling us there was a tsunami alarm and we were to evacuate. Drive out of the resort and turn left.
We dressed and grabbed necessities. We just followed the traffic, then the people on foot who seemed to know where they were going. Parking was hit or miss. The tsunami signs couldn’t be seen in the dark.
The warning was called off before 5 a.m. so it was a non-event, really.
I don’t know how calm we would all have been if we had had news of mighty waves poised to smash onto the beaches and town.
Brian Bradshaw
Ladysmith
