Some things to prepare you for the next #bcquake

I don't know about you but the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that happened last night was enough to jolt me out of bed and keep me up for a couple hours afterwards. I've been through larger ones while living in Los Angeles but this was the strongest one I've ever felt in Vancouver and it collectively got us thinking of "the big one"... again.

CBC's Jody Wagstaffe explains exactly what happened below.

The epicentre was just off Sidney, and this seems to be the extent of the damage...

So no it wasn't a big one - it wasn't even close to "the" big one - but as we've been told time and time again that one is coming. So let's be prepared.

The first thing I did when I felt it last night was go to Twitter. I follow a couple hundred local journalists on my personal account and was hoping they'd tell me what was happening only seconds after the fact. And they did. If you're on Twitter then check out all the people I'm following HERE, follow them and you'll be sure to keep up on any breaking news.

Also, here are some government resources to follow on Twitter:

@preparedbc

@EmergencyInfoBC

@BCGovNews

Next, the radio or TV news is your best bet. Global BC was super quick to act last night, jumping to air with helpful earthquake news almost immediately after it hit. CBC got on it soon after. Turn the TV on after a quake (if there's still power!) and check the news for info.

Now that you've made it through a lil quake and maybe freaked out a little, it's time for you to get that emergency preparedness kit ready! And no, this won't cut it:

HERE is a guide to preparing an emergency kit for any situation, c/o Prepared BC. And below is a quiz to see how prepared you actually are. Stay safe, friends!