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Lessons learned in Port

Port Clements' emergency committee will be reviewing the village's response to Friday night's earthquake and tsunami warning when it meets Jan. 17.But in general, council members said Monday night, the response went smoothly, reflecting lessons learned from the October earthquake and tsunami warning."Most of us were out and I didn't see any hiccups," said mayor Wally Cheer. "The more practice we get, the better we're going to get at it."Mr. Cheer, administrator Kim Mushynsky and councillors Matt Gaspar and Urs Thomas arrived at the village office shortly after the quake struck at 1 am. Mr. Gaspar said it seemed that Emergency Management BC was a little slow in getting updates out, but the village office was able to get all the information it needed over the internet.Mr. Gaspar said it was good to have a strong presence at the office, because several residents did come by looking for information about what was going on and what they should do. The village did advise people living in low-lying areas to get to higher ground, and opened up the seniors' room in the multipurpose building for anyone who wanted to seek shelter there."Some people were scared," Mr. Gaspar said. "That's why we came up here without hesitation. Other than that, it went well."