Government to invest $850,000 in B.C. tsunami warning system

The Canadian government Tuesday said it would earmark $850,000 to help the B.C. provincial government beef up its tsunami warning system.Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) will set aside $350,000, while Indian and Northern Affairs Canada will kick in $500,000 in funding for training, telecommunications and tsunami warning capabilities for coastal B.C. communities. PSEPC and the B.C. government want to ensure coastal communities are conducting tsunami risk assessments, enhancing communications and notification systems, and implementing best practices in the event of a tsunami hazard. INAC will work with First Nations communities on these same strategies, the government says. Among the investments will be funds for workshops slated for later this week in B.C., involving tsunami experts.Currently, both the Canadian federal and B.C. provincial government are part of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System, a multi-national effort to detect and spread word of tsunami-causing activity. As well, Natural Resources Canada runs the national seismograph network which provides alerts on earthquake activity in and around the entire country.The government says recommendations for enhancements coming out of the B.C. process will also be used in Atlantic Canada.The funding is a response to the recently released PSEPC report assessing the B.C. tsunami warning system which advocates a long-term investment in emergency preparedness for coastal communities.