Vancouverites stock up on earthquake equipment

Scenes of devastation in Japan have hit home in British Columbia, where residents who share a place on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire are taking measures to prepare for the possibility of a devastating earthquake on their own coast.

While most people are putting together the emergency supplies long recommended by officials, others are taking more extreme measures.

'We've had a little bit of a rush on the gas masks,' —Danielle Bak, Gorilla Surplus

"We've had a little bit of a rush on the gas masks," said Danielle Bak, who has worked at Vancouver's Gorilla Surplus for six years.

She said the $50 masks are popular but the main demand has been for Geiger counters, which her store doesn't carry, used to detect  and measure the intensity of radioactive particles.

Employees at some military supply stores said they have received anywhere from five to 40 calls a day for the counters, water purification systems, potassium iodide tablets, emergency blankets and gas masks since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan 11 days ago, setting off a deadly tsunami and an emergency at a  massive nuclear facility.

Bak said there has also been an increased demand for basic supplies to put into survival kits because the disaster across the Pacific Ocean has made people more likely to take a proactive approach to emergency preparedness.

"Any sign of earthquake, imminent or whatever, they end up coming in here and just grabbing the usual earthquake kit stuff," she said.

Radioactive concerns

Federal officials are monitoring radiation levels along the B.C. coast and have remained steadfast that any radiation from the nuclear plants in Japan will dissipate to harmless levels before reaching North America.

But assurances from Health Canada and other Canadian and international officials have not entirely allayed concerns that radioactive drift from Japan could affect Canada.

Personally, Bak said she hasn't done anything to prepare for any threat, but noted the public concern has been good for business.

"I'm not worried," she said, laughing.

The owner of another tactical supply shop in Vancouver, who didn't want his name used, said it's natural for people to be worried.

"Generally, with anything like this, there's a great deal of panic if people aren't aware of the situation," he said.

The store owner said he lived in the United Kingdom during the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the Ukraine and said he was more concerned then, as nuclear fallout was more of a threat due to proximity. But he said he never panicked because he knew there was nothing he could do in any event.

This time, he said he and his wife put together some emergency packs.

"It's brought it to the front of peoples' minds, which is a good thing," he said. "It's important that everyone have some kind of preparation for something that could happen."

Health Canada officials continued to stress the expected increase in radiation levels poses no public health risk and monitoring stations along B.C.'s coast had only detected a "minuscule" increase in levels after installing nine additional stations late last week.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control issued a statement reminding residents that they do not need to take any specific actions to protect themselves from Japan's radiological emergency.

Time to prepare

Rather than panic or worry, B.C.'s Public Safety Ministry issued a call for residents to take the time to prepare for potential emergencies.

Christine Pretto, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Red Cross said the organization had already noticed an increase in the number of emergency preparedness kits purchased in B.C. in late January, after nearly half-a-million residents participated in the largest earthquake drill in the nation's history.

While the Red Cross did not know exactly how many kits have been sold online since the earthquake near Sendai, Japan, Pretto said there had been a "noted increase in awareness and questions from the public" about the backpack-style kit.

It is recommended residents store two litres of water per person for at least three days, as well as non-perishable canned and dried food items, a manual can opener and any prescription medications or infant formula they might need.

Emergency preparedness experts also suggested having a first aid kit, flashlight with spare batteries, candles, matches, wind-up or battery-powered radio, cash in smaller bills, and extra home and car keys readily accessible in case of unforeseen disaster.