By The Canadian Press

Tsunami warning prompts increased concern among coastal residents

Jan 24, 2018 | 5:50 AM

VICTORIA —   Yesterday’s tsunami warning along B-C’s outer coast has energized an emergency alert program in Victoria.

    The City of Victoria says on Monday it had just a few thousand subscribers to its Vic-Alert service — which texts users about imminent threats such as a tsunami or gas leaks, Amber Alerts and even power outages.

    But by mid-afternoon yesterday the service had more than 34-thousand subscribers, following the tsunami warning that prompted evacuations in many low-lying communities including Esquimalt and parts of Victoria.

    Interest in the Vic-Alert program was so intense that the city had to issue a social media post urging patience because some people were having trouble accessing the sign-up page.