A strong earthquake centered about 20km off the coast of Kyuquot rattled homes and damaged a government dock on the evening of April 23.
The magnitude 6.7 quake struck at 8:10 p.m. as Kyuquot families were visiting one another and kids were out playing.
Kyuquot resident Daisy Hanson said she was at the home of a relative for a family meeting when the earthquake struck.
“The house started shaking with a quick, jerky motion like what happens when you shake a snow globe,” said Hanson.
She said it seemed to come in three waves with hard shaking that would gradually slow down. And it came with noise.
“We could hear it rumble,” she said.
When the shaking stopped the adults fled the house to gather children and check on their families. Everyone eventually began making their way to the school, which is located high on a hill, safe from tsunami threats.
By 10 p.m. everyone started for home after they received word there would be no tsunami.
Hanson was impressed with the reaction of her young granddaughters who were home with their older brother at the time.
According to Hanson, when their home started shaking the three girls, ages seven, eight and 11, immediately dove under a table and stayed there until their father arrived.
“They ran to him and cried,” Hanson shared. She credits the school’s regular earthquake drills for the girls’ proper reaction to the earthquake.
While homes in Kyuquot received a good jolt from the quake, no damage was reported.
According to Hanson, the government dock located across the channel was damaged, minimally, by the quake.
A series of small to moderate aftershocks shook the area throughout the night but nobody reported feeling the tremors.
The earthquake was felt throughout the northern end of Vancouver Island and along the west coast. There are reports that it was felt in the Lower Mainland and in Neah Bay, WA.
According to Daisy Hanson, t’aaqiitl is earthquake in the Nuu-chah-nulth language.
