I have a recurring dream. I am driving through the tunnel and an earthquake hits. The road rumbles and cracks underneath me and streams of ocean water gush out of cracks in the walls. My foot pushes hard on the accelerator and I escape the crumbling tunnel as it collapses behind me. I am in a Dwayne Johnson movie so I will be one of the lucky ones to survive.
That’s quite a vivid fantasy until I remind myself there are small earthquakes happening everyday only a few kilometres away. You can look them up on earthquaketrack.com. On this day there have been five earthquakes in the past 24 hours, 15 in the past seven days and 66 earthquakes in the past 30 days.
Most of the earthquakes we should be paying attention to are in and around the southern tip of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and we all know how close that is to South Delta.
The majority of these earthquakes are small and at various depths of the earth. Scientists methodically track them because they know a shift of great magnitude is coming.
Despite my fear of earthquakes, I am not ready even though I have been drilled on how to drop, cover and hold and I was a Girl Guide. As a reporter, I have done numerous stories on earthquake preparedness yet I am not prepared. I have a camping lantern and a wind up radio my step daughter gave us a few years ago tucked in the back of a cupboard. That’s it.
Psychoanalytical theory explains denial as a psychological defence we use to reduce our anxiety when something feels particularly disturbing. Like the ground shaking under my feet and the panic and confusion that accompanies a devastating earthquake. This is my problem; denial is a comfortable place to be.
It’s not complicated to put together an emergency preparedness kit, so this month I will do it. My first step is to learn how to turn off all the utilities in my house and secure bookcases and art work that might fall on me.
Next step is to organize water, non-perishable food (don’t forget pet food), a flashlight and radio, blankets, a first aid kit and more. I know I need at least enough supplies to be safe for three days and to store them in a dry location away from the house.
How will my neighbours react when disaster strikes? What do they have, what do they need? I have no idea. Maybe someone is uber organized and has a generator. What about the senior across the street who can’t walk without help? Time to ask.
Because we live beside the biggest fault line on the west coast of North America, experts tell us it’s not matter of if, it’s a matter of when a powerful earthquake will strike. That’s a prediction I don’t want to deny since I don’t live in a Hollywood movie.
Ingrid Abbott is a broadcaster and writer who needs to get organized so she won’t be shaking in her boots when the big one comes.
