What Impact might a volcanic eruption or earthquake in Japan have on Canada?

What Impact might a volcanic eruption or earthquake in Japan have on Canada?

1. The debris

   • Debris routinely washes up on B.C.'s beaches
   • The tsunami also raised the possibility of human remains washing up on North American shores
   • Objects that float high on the water such as Styrofoam arrived first, followed by an increase of wooden debris
   • According to Japanese estimates, approximately 5 million tonnes of debris was washed into the Pacific by the backwash from the tsunami

2. Stephen Harper

   • Stephen Harper issued a statement following the earthquake and tsunami that struck, offering heartfelt condolences to all that have been affected

3. Assistance

   • Stephen Harper said Canada will do what it can to help Japan recover from this disaster
   • In Canada, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon announced on 13 March that Canada would provide medical, engineering and financial aid to Japan

4. Economy

   • The provincial government has spent between $200,000 and $300,000 to respond to the tsunami debris, while the federal government puts its own number at about $400,000
   • In addition to that 1 million dollars, from the Japanese government, which will fund a program run by the B.C. government that allows local governments, First Nations and non-governmental organizations to apply for funding for their own cleanup projects.

5. Canadiens affected

   • Diplomats at the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo are working with Japanese authorities to determine whether any Canadians have been injured in the earthquake or tsunami
   • A group of high school students from Brighton, Ontario were on a tour bus in Tokyo when the quake rattled the city
   • Canadians that were visiting the country are eager to get home, flights are next to impossible
   • B.C. native has been teaching in Tokyo for more than a decade and has never experienced anything like this. “I was shaking like a mad dog,” he recalls.

Images and files in the map