Tsunami advisory refloats memories of waves that swamped Port Alberni, B.C., in 1964

A stranded car, a precariously leaning building and strewn debris are the result of a tsunami that roared up Alberni Inlet in B.C. in a March 27, 1964 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Port Alberni Maritime Heritage Society (Mandatory Credit)

Longtime residents of Port Alberni, B.C., know the potential impact of a tsunami all too well.

Mike Ruttan was 12 when the town on Vancouver Island was hit with massive waves triggered by 9.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Alaska on March 27, 1964.

It was Good Friday, and most people were sleeping when the waves roared down Alberni Inlet and crashed through the town, destroying bridges, tossing cars and pulling homes off their foundations.

Ruttan, who would serve as mayor of the city from 2014 to 2018, said his home higher up was fine, but his classmates weren’t as lucky.

“Amazingly, even though buildings were moved and cars were overturned and trains were upended and all the rest of that stuff, nobody — nobody — was killed,” he said.

Memories of that night came flooding back for Ruttan on Tuesday, when Port Alberni and much of the B.C. coast were placed under a tsunami advisory after a massive 8.8-magnitude quake in Russia. It was one of the eight most powerful recorded since 1900, while the 1964 quake was the second-most powerful.

“It makes me think today, well, we’ve done some things to prepare for a future tsunami. There’s always more that needs to be done,” said Ruttan.

John Jack, chair of the board of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District which includes Port Alberni, said there was some confusion about Tuesday’s advisory and some residents were unclear whether they should have left their waterfront properties.

“And I think that was the theme of (Tuesday), that there was anxiety and fear over what could happen,” Jack said in an interview, adding that being specific with the language on the advisory can “assuage some real fear and anxiety.”

Jack said the alert systems in use now aren’t perfect, but they are “a heck of a lot more than what we had even a few years ago.”

He said there is room for improvement at all levels of government and officials need to be more clear about what tsunami warnings and advisories mean.

When the 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern Kamchatka region, a tsunami watch was issued for much of the B.C. coast and it was upgraded to an advisory around 8 p.m Tuesday. A tsunami warning was never issued.

A tsunami advisory is the second of three warning levels used by the United States and Canada. It means people should stay out of the water and away from beaches and shores.

It is only the higher-level “tsunami warning” that requires people to evacuate to higher ground or inland.

Jack said it’s important to communicate a spectrum of possibilities and let people know that they should be prepared.

“It’s not something where they necessarily need to pick up and leave their life behind. But at the same time, it’s always better to be prepared, and I think that’s the lesson we need to take out of this situation.”

Port Alberni has a siren system to warn people and Jack said signs were put up to warn people of tsunami inundation zones, places that are at risk and routes to take to get to higher ground.

Residents could also sign up for a cellphone alert system, he said.

Port Alberni is connected by an 54-kilometre-long inlet to the west coast of Vancouver Island. In 1964, the narrow inlet amplified the size and intensity of the tsunami as it raced towards the city, hitting the community with a 2.44 metre wave. An hour later, another a wave of 3.05 metres struck.

Jack said the town had a practice run for another possible tsunami in 2021 when an 8.2 earthquake struck off Alaska.

“Four years ago, we learned a lot about how to communicate, and this time along, we did the same thing, and we got better, and we learned as we went,” said Jack.

He said the 1964 tsunami helped kick off an understanding that officials and communities need to work together on planning and having emergency systems in place.

“Over those two generations or so, we’ve really got better, and we are mitigating the risks, but we do need to depend on not just government, but taking action as citizens and residents to do the right thing, to get prepared,” said Jack.

He said the best preparation isn’t just gassing up cars, having a go bag and cash ready, but it’s also important to look out for neighbours, especially since many people on Vancouver Island are retirees.

“I think those interdependent networks are what really are going to create resilience when it comes to dealing with a situation such as ours.”

This report by Nono Shen, The Canadian Press, was first published July 31, 2025.