Cascadia Fault

By Michael Hoover

Recently I dreamed a 9.0 earthquake shook the ground from Vancouver to Northern California and the destruction was enormous. Jefferson County’s emergency services were immediately activated, and immediately overwhelmed. Water and sewer lines failed: power was out and communications were down. I knew the President would declare a disaster, but I also knew FEMA’s response would be slow. The local Red Cross would set up shelters and provide some meals, but highways 101 and 20 were impassable and the Hood Canal bridge was in pieces. Mass evacuation was impossible. In an instant, Port Townsend had become an island.

Although the hospital had significant damage, survivors began crowding the emergency room and filling the parking lot. Before I had a chance to panic, I remembered our neighborhood had its own emergency plan. We had met as a group several times and all agreed to have at least seven days worth of food and water and critical supplies, like medications, securely stored. We discussed who had special needs and who had special talents.

Next door to us was a HAM operator with his own generator. A nurse lived a few doors down and a lady in a wheelchair lived next door. It was the lady in the wheelchair who initially got us together to begin preparing as a neighborhood. Because of her initiative we were ready to “shelter in place” and share our resources and expertise. Within an hour of the quake all the neighbors were gathered at a pre-arranged location assessing our predicament. A few families had to evacuate their homes so they grabbed their emergency supply kits and moved into a neighbor’s garage to set up camp. I’ll admit it was a pretty scary dream, but not a nightmare, thanks to the lady in the wheelchair.

This was originally published in 2013 as a letter to the editor of the Port Townsend Leader.