NDM-516: TSUNAMI VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF CANADIAN WEST COAST COMMUNITIES BASED ON EVACUATION CAPABILITY

The Canadian Pacific coast is located in a highly seismic region with active convergent plates with the potential to generate large tsunamis. The tsunami vulnerability of communities in British Columbia is assessed using geographical information system (GIS) model for potential run up heights between 3-25 m and the difference between the necessary pedestrian time to safety and the tsunami arrival time, defined as the available time (AT). Using these metrics, 8 communities were identified to be highly vulnerable to tsunami due to run ups of 25 m: Ucluelet, Gordon River 2 IRI, Tofino, Esowista 3 IRI, Hesquiat 1 IRI, Hope Island 1 IRI, and Masset and Masset 1 IRI. The high vulnerability level was considered when the AT was less than 15 min. Tofino and Ucluelet were assessed to be particularly vulnerable given that they are resort communities where high number of tourists during peak seasons. Additionally, many large tourist accommodations are located near the shoreline, which are high-risk regions. The majority of the BC population is located in the low vulnerability regions of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Georgia. Delta and Richmond were determined to have negative ATs as the majority of their communities are located within low-lying areas, but these areas are highly vulnerable to tsunamis caused by landslides. This study highlights the need for reliable run-up modelling in high vulnerability regions, which is currently lacking throughout British Columbia