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How Scientists’ Communications Helped Mitigate the Psychosocial Effects of the October 2012 Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake near Haida Gwaii, Canada by Alison Bird and Maurice Lamontagne Online Material: Tables of abridged data from “Did You Feel It?” reports.

INTRODUCTION The sparsely populated region of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) was struck on 27 October 2012 by a magnitude (M w ) 7.8 earthquake—the second largest earthquake in Canada’s written history. It was felt throughout British Columbia and into neighboring provinces, territories, and states, as far as 1600 km from the event’s rupture zone. Throughout Haida Gwaii, the shaking reportedly lasted 1.5–2 min, with about 30 s of especially strong shaking. Despite there being only light building damage and few, minor injuries, many of the inhabitants of Haida Gwaii found the earthquake and its numerous aftershocks to be a truly upsetting experience. Through public meetings and face-to-face interviews, the first author and other scientific presenters endeavored to mitigate the earthquakes’ psychosocial impacts. Myths and misconceptions regarding earthquakes and tsunamis had to be addressed diligently. Lessons learned might be applied to future significant geohazard events, and we provide a summary of those lessons here. Geographic Setting Haida Gwaii is an archipelago of roughly 150 islands, located off the coast of central British Columbia, Canada. Two dominant islands constitute the majority of Haida Gwaii’s landmass (Fig. 1); Graham Island in the north is separated from Moresby Island to the south by the narrow Skidegate Channel. Approximately 4800 people live on Haida Gwaii in the summer season, but it is estimated that fewer than 4500 were on the islands at the time of the earthquake. Six communities have been established on Haida Gwaii, with all but one of these situated on Graham Island. A relatively high proportion of inhabitants (roughly half ) belong to First Nation communities, generally of the Haida Nation. The two main Haida communities are doi: 10.1785/0220140231

Skidegate, near the village of Queen Charlotte, and Massett, at the northern end of Graham Island; each has its own emergency social services organizations. The islands are accessed by two primary transportation routes. One is a daily 2 h flight from Vancouver to Sandspit, which at time of printing costs on the order of $1000 CAD and requires a short ferry ride to access the communities on Graham Island. The other is a weekly ∼30 h overnight ferry from Port Hardy via Prince Rupert to Skidegate. Both modes of transportation are frequently hampered by inclement weather, particularly in the autumn and winter seasons. Tectonic Setting The transpressional Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) marks a boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, along the west coast of Haida Gwaii and northward along the Alaska panhandle, where it turns into the Fairweather fault (Bird et al., 1997; Fig. 1). The QCF has ruptured in several large earthquakes, including a magnitude (M w ) 7 in 1929 (Milne, 1956), an M w 8.1 event just northwest of Graham Island in 1949 (this is the largest recorded in Canadian history; Bostwick, 1984), and an M w 7.4 in 1970 (Lamontagne et al., 2008). The M w 7.8 October 2012 Earthquake The October 2012 magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck along the southwestern coast of Haida Gwaii is the second largest in Canada’s written history. Shaking from this event was felt throughout British Columbia and into the Yukon, Alberta, Alaska, and the northwestern United States, to a distance of 1600 km from the earthquake’s rupture zone (Fig. 2). Across Haida Gwaii, the shaking was reported to have lasted roughly 1.5–2 min. Because people in this region frequently experience moderate earthquakes, they report having expected the shaking to diminish after about 30 s; this was instead the point at which the shaking became more severe, with the stronger shaking lasting another half a minute before the intensity began to diminish (Bird and Lamontagne, 2015; Fig. 3). The earthquake

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▴ Figure 1. The tectonic setting and historical seismicity (magnitude ≥ 3) of Haida Gwaii, off the north coast of British Columbia, with the Queen Charlotte fault marking the transpressional boundary between the Pacific and North American plates; the arrow indicates Pacific plate motion relative to the North American plate. The rupture length of the M w 8.1 earthquake in 1949 and that of the M w 7.4 event in 1970 are both shown as broad, gray lines; the rupture zone of the 2012 event is boxed in red (adapted from Bird and Lamontagne, 2015). Seismicity that occurred prior to the M w 7.8 event in 2012 is shown in gray scale. The inset (adapted from James et al., 2013) is of a simplified fault model showing thrust faulting beneath the Queen Charlotte transform fault, with the 2012 M w 7.8 thrust event (shown in red) believed to have occurred between the Pacific plate and accretionary prism; the 1949 M w 8.1 event ruptured along the transform margin, to the north. also caused a sizeable tsunami (with runups of up to 13 m), which inundated primarily the uninhabited west coast of Moresby Island (Leonard and Bednarski, 2014, 2015). Only limited damage resulted from the shaking because the population centers are all located at least 80 km from the 1302


epicenter and 60 km from the fault rupture (Bird and Lamontagne, 2015). Damage consisted mostly of moderate failure of chimneys, cracked plaster, cracked foundation slabs, and road slumps, plus some disarray of interior contents. It is worth noting that no structure is more than three

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Figure 2. Map of intensities (adapted from Bird and Lamontagne, 2015) garnered from felt reports submitted to the “Did You Feel It?” section of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; circles) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS; triangles) websites (see Data and Resources).

stories in height, and most are of wood-framed construction. There were, however, numerous landslides documented throughout the region (e.g., Millard, 2012; Millard et al., 2012). Finally, what seemed the greatest disappointment to the majority of people on Haida Gwaii was the drying up of the thermal springs on Hotsprings Island, within the Gwaii Haanas National Park. They had been a popular destination for boaters and kayakers and are considered a sacred site by the Haida Nation. With the exception of landslides throughout the islands (mainly in wilderness areas), the impacts to roadways and structures were minor, and injuries were limited to abrasions and contusions. Numerous people were, however, significantly traumatized by the experience and by the aftershocks felt throughout the following weeks (Farahbod and Kao, 2015). As reported by witnesses on the islands, shaking from the mainshock and many aftershocks was undulatory in nature, with some people having felt nauseous; this is common from the long-period waves of large, somewhat distant earthquakes (Cassidy and Rogers, 2004). Strong, felt aftershocks continued daily in the weeks after the main event, the largest being an

M w 6.8 earthquake the day after the mainshock. Divers, who were harvesting the geoduck mollusk in the waters above and near the rupture zone, reported hearing many more aftershocks than were reported as felt (Richard Hall, personal comm., 2012). The phenomenon has been recorded by scuba divers for other large earthquakes, such as off Grand Cayman Island and the Philippines (see Data and Resources).

INTENSITY REPORTS The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC, part of Natural Resources Canada) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) collected a combined total of 3005 reports through the “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) section of their websites (see Data and Resources). The authors direct the reader to Bird and Lamontagne (2015) for details on the reports and the community decimal intensities (CDIs; Wald et al., 2011) calculated from each report submitted (Fig. 2). Ⓔ Some information embedded and garnered from the DYFI reports is given in Tables S1 and S2, available in the electronic supplement to this article. The limited number of reports from the


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▴ Figure 3. Shaking (acceleration) recorded by the strong-motion Queen Charlotte Internet Accelerograph, with peak motion up to ∼0:2g (∼20% gravitational acceleration). As was indicated in reports from the people on Haida Gwaii and in the surrounding regions, the shaking was felt for 1.5–2 min, with very strong shaking for about half a minute. This instrument is operated by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, British Columbia (from Bird and Lamontagne, 2015). inhabitants of Haida Gwaii (88, or roughly 2% of the islands’ winter-time population) may reflect the local preference to remain independent (often living off the grid); many inhabitants eschew the Internet and, in some cases, interaction with government agencies. The islands’ distance from the mainland coast also contributes to the lack of intensity data in the immediate region of the event’s rupture zone. Details gathered by the first author during visits to the islands in November 2012 and February 2014 resulted in 24 additional CDI reports (Ⓔ see Table S3). For our purposes, DYFI reports were analyzed beyond CDI metrics, in an attempt to further quantify people’s experiences. Not surprisingly, people who felt the intensity of shaking was strong were more emotionally responsive to it, reporting that they were frightened (Fig. 4a). In addition, people from regions with low occurrence of earthquakes (e.g., communities in Alberta) who reported only light shaking occasionally reported feeling fear; this may be a result of such movement being an unusual experience. Human Perception: Response, Psychosocial Impacts, and Postearthquake Communications Based on experiences in other postearthquake periods (Lamontagne et al., 1992), it was anticipated that many residents of Haida Gwaii might experience considerable fear and anxiety. For directly affected persons, an earthquake crisis presents many characteristics of a highly stressful event: it is unusual 1304


and sudden, it represents a potential danger for one’s safety, and it is filled with unknowns (duration, intensity, frequency, potential for damage and injuries, and likelihood of repeat events—with the possibility of both aftershocks and tsunami evacuations). This can have a significant, potentially lasting personal and societal (i.e., psychosocial) impact on the local population. In 2004, the M w 6.6 Niigata–Chuetsu earthquake in Japan caused much psychological distress, which was particularly prevalent immediately after the earthquake; important factors in the level of distress were the fear of the earthquake and its aftershocks, being injured in the event, or becoming ill shortly after (Kuwabara et al., 2008). When such situations occur, evidence shows that seismologists can play a significant role in helping to diminish the anxiety of the population by providing much-needed scientific and preparedness information (Lamontagne and Flynn, 2014). Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) scientists had first-hand experience in the wake of the devastating 2010 M w 7.0 Haiti earthquake, discovering that people are in desperate need of accurate, helpful information following a major earthquake (see Data and Resources). Similar, successful debriefings by NRCan scientists via teleconferences were made to staff of Canadian embassies following the 2010 M 8.8 Chile and 2011 M 9.0 Tohoku earthquakes. The 2012 event was the first opportunity to apply our postearthquake communication strategy to a large Canadian earthquake, albeit from a far less damaging or injurious event. In postearthquake periods, information adapted to the needs of the local population is critical. This was lacking, however, on Haida Gwaii in the hours following the earthquake. During the night of the mainshock, television news programs were focused on southwestern British Columbia (or further, e.g., Hawai‘i), leaving Haida Gwaii residents without up-todate tsunami or earthquake information for their region. In addition, many communities suffered an electrical blackout in the first 90 min after the mainshock, isolating many residents from broadcasted information, including those Internet users who were without cellular coverage. The lack of local electronic media made it extremely difficult for the local population to acquire information on what had happened and what to expect in the hours that followed. The NRCan website and earthquake reports (sent to emergency measures organizations and news media) were the only sources of seismological information from Canada. When people evacuated from the potential tsunami runup, they turned to the radio for information. Because the regional radio station, located in Prince Rupert and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), did not broadcast tsunami information specific to the islands, many inhabitants complained they learned nothing via the radio until after the tsunami warning had been lifted (see Data and Resources). Within weeks of the earthquake, tsunami response by both local news media and emergency planning coordinators was re-examined (see Data and Resources), with improvements evident in the wake of the January 2013 Craig, Alaska, earthquake’s tsunami alert. Marine Communications and Traffic Services relayed tsunami-related messages within 15 min of receipt from


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▴ Figure 4. (a) Perception of earthquake strength versus distance; color is an indication of emotional response in which warmer colors suggest a heightened level of anxiety. Data were gathered as part of the “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted to both the GSC (circles) and the USGS (triangles). (b) Community decimal intensity versus distance, with symbols an indication of people’s physical response to the shaking. Despite the earthquake occurring just ten days after the Great British Columbia Shake Out earthquake drill, a surprisingly small number of people took this most appropriate action. Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC). These were variations of the notifications from the National Tsunami Warning Center, modified to be regionally specific for British Columbia’s coastlines. As the earthquake occurred on a Saturday evening, few mariners were on their boats, and marine radios in the home are rare. Part of a good postearthquake communications strategy is to favor direct contact with the affected population (Lamontagne and Flynn, 2014). In early November 2012, the first author accompanied field crews from NRCan who were to deploy additional monitoring equipment (James et al., 2013).

The first author acted as a liaison between the crews and the people of Haida Gwaii; she was charged with providing information sessions to the communities and most schools (Haida Gwaii Observer, 2013; see Data and Resources) and with meeting emergency managers and responders. It was an ideal opportunity to learn from and help the islands’ people. At the public meetings, general information on earthquakes and on the current earthquake situation in Haida Gwaii was presented, with a total of 11 such presentations being held that month, to a total of approximately 930 people. Following the audiovisual presentations, question-and-answer periods were held, and printed


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material on earthquakes and emergency preparedness was distributed. In February 2014, a second series of presentations was made to the same communities; this time the first author was accompanied by associates, including the Seismic Specialist from EMBC, who spoke about earthquake and tsunami planning and general tsunami awareness, and a Weather Services Specialist from Environment Canada, who presented various information tools, including Weatheradio (see Data and Resources), an intrusive alerting system that recently had been expanded through installation of transmitters to cover populated areas of Haida Gwaii. At that time, Weatheradio was also in the process of being adapted for intrusive tsunami alerting. During this visit, the first author was able to share with the communities what had been learned about the earthquake, its tsunami, and its impact on the islands, including the realization that there is a need not simply to address the physical impacts of such events, but also the psychosocial effects.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AND CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATIONS For the postearthquake presentations, Haida Gwaii represented a communications challenge for at least three reasons. First, many residents choose to live on Haida Gwaii to feel less socially constrained and are sometimes reluctant to interact with government officials, such as ourselves. Second, about 40% of the ∼4800 inhabitants belong to the Haida First Nation, potentially having cultural values distinct from non-native groups. This implied a need to be sensitive to cultural differences in our communications, acknowledging the location of a gathering being on First Nations’ land and thanking the attendees in Haida: “Ha’awa”. Third, the communications means on the archipelago are more limited than those in average Canadian urban centers. Haida Gwaii has one media outlet, the weekly Haida Gwaii Observer newspaper. Although some people got their immediate information from the Internet and television, many residents have no access to these. The sole radio broadcast comes from the aforementioned CBC station located in Prince Rupert on mainland British Columbia, which transmits northern British Columbian content from 6:00 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and retransmits national and international programs from its main (e.g., Vancouver and Ottawa) broadcasting centers for the remaining (∼80%) on-air hours. As a consequence, there is little reporting of events that specifically affect Haida Gwaii, and there was no regional coverage in the hours immediately following the earthquake. Based on the communications strategy developed in Lamontagne and Flynn (2014), the presenters included information to help the local population deal with the stressful postearthquake period. It was hoped that direct contact between the public and geoscientists (such as public presentations and outreach activities) could have a positive impact on those affected. In the audiovisual presentations, the emphasis was put on visual material that would have a greater psychosocial impact 1306


(Mileti and Peek, 2002). Simplified and visually compelling illustrations were used to make difficult concepts and processes (such as plate tectonics and tsunami generation) easier to understand. The goal was to shift people from feeling like victims to having confidence in their ability to survive by bringing control over their lives and environment. Messages were included that were practical in nature and that provided information on health and safety concerns. Describing actions to reduce vulnerability (preparing one’s home/office, assembling an emergency kit, and developing family, workplace, and community plans) encourages people to be active rather than passive or reactive. Gaining a sense of control over one’s fate in the face of a powerful event is a significant step on the road to physical and psychosocial recovery. In addition, the group of presenters reassured their audience of the normality of their reactions by validating their experience, providing basic information, and encouraging them to talk with members of their social network, family, and community emergency measures organization. For further credibility in the messaging, significant leaders of the community (including local officials and emergency planners and regional EMBC representatives) supported our communications and provided community-specific information. In addition to the basic seismological information, presentations included material directly aimed at the psychosocial aspects of a postearthquake period. Prior to the Haida Gwaii earthquake, the presenters had developed audiovisual material (photos, animations, and videos) to illustrate emergency preparedness concepts pertinent to various at-risk regions of the province. These included positive actions that people can take to reduce their vulnerability from earthquakes and tsunami. To ensure retention of the information, some printed departmental fact sheets and individual preparedness brochures were also handed out, along with the contact and web information of presenters and other sources, in an effort to extend our commitment beyond the public sessions. Tsunami information was also included because this was perceived by some to be a greater threat than the earthquakes themselves. Initially, pictures of damage from other large earthquakes were avoided as it was feared that they could bring back unwanted memories. However, it was found that many people wanted to see the destructive power of earthquakes larger than the one they felt. The presenters ensured that their delivery included an element of compassion, wanting people to understand that the presenters cared about them and their situation. In addition to the presentation and the question-and-answer period that followed, people were invited to come forward if they had questions to be posed on an individual basis. The individual conversations showed the extent of distress; many were in tears, some refused to speak openly because the subject was too upsetting, a few reported having to take time off work, and others refused to leave their homes. The first author was approached by one gentleman who shared that he slept with the radio on and the covers drawn over his head so as not to hear the rumblings of aftershocks, adding that he was truly terrified. Many people were simply feeling stress, frustration, and nervousness


due to the seemingly continual shaking from the daily aftershocks in the weeks following the mainshock. It is assumed that individual responses varied according to numerous personal factors and also to the location and vulnerability at the time of the earthquake, a subject outside our field of expertise. The presence of local emergency managers and other social service providers reminded people of the existence of helpful local resources. Trauma specialists have written about the importance of getting children back into a routine and of teaching them about what is going on, but one could argue the same is true for adults. The postpresentation question-and-answer periods also highlighted several rumors and misconceptions. For example, many felt that no tsunami could occur along the east coast of the islands due to the shallow bathymetry of Hecate Strait. Similarly, some assumed that none would occur in the future because none had been triggered during the October 2012 mainshock. Others believed that human activity had upset nature. As subject-matter experts, confronting the rumors and misconceptions is most crucial in the postearthquake period. The 2012 meetings engaged more fully the First Nations; for example, the Queen Charlotte/Skidegate forum was held at ̱ ay Llnagaay, Gwaii Haanas in the Haida Heritage Centre at K the long-house great room, and the Massett event was at the Old Massett Hall within the local First Nations’ community. Non-First Nation people attended these events; and, it should be noted that, while the First Nation and non-First Nation communities are separated geographically, the people from them are socially connected. When the first author spoke with the First Nations’ members, they exhibited a somewhat more reflective and emotional response to the event, often describing their experience with analogies to other natural phenomena and occasionally associating the earthquake’s occurrence with historical events in their community. Skidegate in particular seemed to suffer relatively strong amplification effects, as noted above, so their experience was likely to have been more dramatic than that of most people on Haida Gwaii. The 2014 events were organized by local emergency managers, and the First Nation communities deferred to the local non-First Nation communities to host the events, although First Nation people did attend them. This made it difficult to gauge, on a large scale, the First Nation reactions this year; only anecdotally was it possible to determine that there had been a general improvement in the emotional well being of people in these communities (Lisa Kendall, personal comm., 2014). The greatly improved emergency facilities, outreach materials, and emergency plan of the Skidegate First Nation community were, however, toured by the visiting presenters, led by Skidegate’s Emergency Planning Coordinator.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS Haida Gwaii’s remoteness and vulnerability to severe weather ensures that inhabitants are already prepared for natural disaster in terms of routinely ensuring they have a reliable stock of food, fuel, and other supplies. Delivery of provisions to commu-

nity shops occurs only weekly (via ferry, weather permitting). Because this is a region with frequent storms, particularly in the autumn and winter, people on Haida Gwaii might be cut off from supplies for weeks. Electrical outages are also common. In other respects, however, many people exhibited confusion with respect to the appropriate response in the case of earthquake shaking and a potential tsunami. The people of Haida Gwaii, and indeed people in other seismically hazardous regions around the world, may be aware of the risks associated with geohazards, but unfortunately this does not guarantee they will properly prepare for or attempt to mitigate those risks. Joffe et al. (2013) found a heightened awareness that earthquakes pose a risk did not correlate with mitigative actions, such as retrofitting one’s home, compiling an emergency kit, securing heavy objects, or developing a plan of action. The researchers discovered several societal and cultural influences that can undermine the impulse to prepare. For example, people who attribute responsibility for protection from geohazards to governmental and similar agencies often neglect to take on preparedness actions themselves; yet distrust of governmental, industrial, scientific, and similar agencies also undermines people’s likeliness to engage in mitigative strategies. Finally, Joffe et al. (2013) noted that people with fatalistic views of natural disasters often express the opinion that there is nothing they can do to ensure they will survive a catastrophic event—the level of earthquake on which they tend to focus. As with other threats, whether they be human or natural, people are inclined to believe severe events affect only other people, other regions, other countries—a method of psychological stress reduction. For campaigns to raise awareness of risks to be effective, Joffe et al. (2013) determined that they need to promote a sense of control, both individually and as a community. By focusing on the peace of mind resulting from being prepared and by illustrating that measures such as learning first aid have wider ramifications than simply earthquake response, people are more likely to feel empowered rather than helpless. In addition, promoting a community-based approach fosters greater citizen engagement. All of the above techniques were employed for the educational campaigns on Haida Gwaii, particularly those in 2014, when local emergency planners participated, to both provide locally specific information, such as tsunami evacuation routes, and to encourage neighborhood and community-wide efforts.

RESPONSE Earthquake awareness often begins with simply learning the correct course of action upon sensing earthquake shaking or whether to evacuate from a potential tsunami and, if so, where to go. The October 2012 earthquake illustrated how important earthquake drills are. The earthquake occurred just ten days after the annual Great British Columbia Shake Out earthquake drill (also known as ShakeOutBC). In 2012, ShakeOutBC drills on Haida Gwaii were only promoted in the schools and in government offices. Although a short article had been writ-


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ten in the local newspaper, few people were aware of the correct response in an earthquake: to drop, cover, and hold on (DCHO). Students at all but one surveyed school reported they had responded with DCHO during the earthquake. The reaction of students at the outlier school was considerably poorer. Several adults reported that their children or grandchildren quickly got under a table or desk and encouraged them to do the same, but this was certainly not common. Figure 4b shows the CDI values as a function of distance from rupture, with symbol color an indication of action taken. Only 8 (9%) of the DYFI respondents on Haida Gwaii reported they had responded with DCHO. Despite much effort on the part of government researchers and emergency managers to educate people with respect to the necessity to heed tsunami warnings and alerts (and to understand strong earthquake shaking is such a warning), because of the misperceptions mentioned above surrounding tsunamis, numerous people debated the merits of evacuating in case of tsunami. Earthquake response (DCHO), tsunami evacuation, and general hazard preparedness were necessary, key topics of public forums held in November 2012 and February 2014.

SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED Clear, accurate, timely information is crucial in the minutes and hours following a major earthquake, especially when there is a threat of tsunami. In addition, both consultation by researchers with communities and opportunities for more casual question-and-answer sessions should be a standard practice, in conjunction with the usual postseismic (aftershock and crustal deformation) field deployments. Such interactions are beneficial to the scientists, enabling them to learn more about an event and to share their knowledge, and to the earthquake’s victims, who may want the chance to share their experiences and to learn about the more technical aspects of earthquakes, theirs in particular. Such engagement often results in the community’s support for the research being done. It also fosters an atmosphere of risk awareness that motivates communities toward preparedness, risk mitigation, and response planning. Finally, these activities enable the fostering of relationships between earthquake and tsunami researchers and local emergency measures organizations, leading to improved pre-event knowledge sharing and postevent communication. There was an expressed eagerness of communities to have the scientists return to the islands to share their findings. Following the visits to the islands, there have also been substantial interactions of presenters and their colleagues with students, emergency planners, and the public of Haida Gwaii, as well as with local and regional news media. This is compelling evidence that the presenters’ efforts produced a culture of information sharing and trust.

CONCLUSIONS The October 2012 magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused strong shaking throughout the islands of Haida Gwaii and was felt as 1308


far away as Montana. Over 3000 DYFI reports were submitted to the websites of the GSC and USGS, and these were examined to quantify people’s emotional and physical response to the earthquake; it was thus found that the event had a significant effect on the local population. Our postearthquake communications efforts made use of a strategy based on previous earthquake experiences. Through public meetings and the question-and-answer periods that followed, scientific presenters were able to provide basic information on the earthquake and tsunami processes, to answer questions and dispel misperceptions, and to encourage attendees to prepare themselves and their homes. In that respect, it was believed that efforts were appreciated and worthwhile. As with any other postearthquake situations, this one posed some additional challenges that illustrate the importance of adapting communications to the local realities. The remoteness of Haida Gwaii and the limitations in the methods of communication posed some challenges to our strategies for postevent contact. Ⓔ The comprehensive set of abridged CDI data (compiled by the GSC and USGS, with contact information and personal comments removed) is available in the electronic supplement to this article.

DATA AND RESOURCES Accounts of earthquakes experienced while scuba diving can be found on several webpages, including those of (1) Extreme Photographer (2014). “Underwater during an earthquake in Grand Cayman,” by Predrag Vuckovic, January 2014 at http://www. extreme‑photographer.com/en/news‑blog/underwater‑during‑an‑ earthquake‑in‑grand‑cayman‑37.html, (2) the Scuba Board “Underwater for the Earthquake,” 29 July 2006 at http://www. scubaboard.com/forums/hawaii/152625-underwater-earthquake. html#Scene_1, and (3) The Guardian “Experience: I survived an

earthquake while scuba diving,” by Jessica Read, 25 January 2014 at http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/25/isurvived-earthquake-while-diving (all last accessed June 2015). “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted by earthquake witnesses to the websites of the Geological Survey of Canada at http://www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/dyfi-lavr/known-connueng.php?event=20121028.0304 and of the United States Geological Survey at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/ us/b000df7n/us/index.html, where a description of Community Decimal Intensity can be found at http://earthquake. usgs.gov/research/dyfi (all last accessed June 2015). A Science

Watch (2010) article, “Spotlight on Natural Resources Canada (Part 2)-Earthquakes: Monitoring at Home and Abroad,” by J. Minnick outlines the GSC’s response to past major earthquakes (http://archive.sciencewatch.com/inter/ins/10/10octNRCpt22/; last accessed June 2015). The difficulties of acquiring pertinent information in the hours following the 2012 earthquake were outlined in an article in the Haida Gwaii Observer: “CBC needs to pull up its socks,” by Jane Wilson, 14 January 2013 (http:// www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/Article.aspx?Id=5768), with articles in the same publication outlining the GSC’s field and outreach


response to the earthquake and tsunami “Seismologist here to study quake aftermath,” report by Jane Wilson, 14 November 2012 (http://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/Article.aspx?Id=5705), and on the improvements made to the tsunami alert system for the province in “A multi-faced earthquake and tsunami response,” submitted by Shirley Bond-British Columbia’s Minister of Justice, 9 November 2012 at http://www.haidagwaiiobserver. com/Article.aspx?Id=5693 (all last accessed June 2015). A description of Environment Canada’s “Weatheradio” is at http:// www.ec.gc.ca/weatheradio (last accessed June 2015). Finally, with the exception of Figure 3, maps and plots were produced using Generic Mapping Tools, available at www.soest.hawaii.edu/gmt (last accessed June 2015; Wessel and Smith, 1998).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grateful for the assistance they received from Stephen Halchuk (Natural Resources Canada [NRCan]) and from David Wald and Vince Quitoriano (United States Geological Survey [USGS]) in the compilation of felt reports for this earthquake. The first author also thanks associates from Environment Canada and Emergency Management British Columbia for their hard work, diligence, and company on the 2014 visit to Haida Gwaii. The authors thank John Cassidy for reviewing this article and providing helpful comments. Finally, we respectfully thank the people of Haida Gwaii who took the time to share their experiences and who helped the first author and NRCan field crews during their time on the islands, particularly Parks Canada and the Haida First Nation.

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Alison Bird Maurice Lamontagne Natural Resources Canada (Geological Survey of Canada) 9860 West Saanich Road P.O. Box 6000 Sidney, British Columbia Canada V8L 4B2


alison.bird@nrcan‑rncan.gc.ca

Published Online 15 July 2015

Volume 86, Number 5


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