Evacuation Orders

What a crazy week for natural disasters.

Two days ago there was an earthquake in the Haida Gwai, off the Queen Charlotte Islands, and yesterday was Sally. In case you didn't know, Sally is a massive hurricane which has attacked the East Coast, New York in particular. The American's have dubbed the storm 'Frankenstorm' and it did a massive amount of damage to the city. It completely flooded out the subway system there. Sally led to a widespread evacuation, with an estimated 10,000,000 people exiting the city. The aftermath was eerie, with only the Empire State Building shining any light in the night's sky, like a beacon of hope.

The earthquake in the Queen Charlottes set off a tsunami which was supposed to clobber western Vancouver Island, and be felt as far away as Hawaii. Evacuation orders were given, and in the ensuing scramble, many people wondered if the government had acted fast enough to ensure the safety of its people.

If you are going to live in downtown Vancouver, you will be in a safer place than Richmond. Delta is also built, fittingly enough, on a Delta of sand. If there were to be an earthquake in Vancouver, it is not the downtown which would suffer, it would be those suburbs.

Getting acquainted with the evacuation orders of your neighbourhood is never a bad idea. It's important to discuss with your family what your evacuation plan is, be it earthquake, tsunami, tidal wave or locusts.

There is no doubt that downtown Manhattan real estate has taken a beating in the last few days. If you are from New York, and looking to settle down somewhere a little less dangerous, your downtown Vancouver real estate agent, Anthea Poon, will be more than happy to help you.