Fault Lines

Here on the west coast of Canada, we know the odds are high of a damaging earthquake in our lifetime. So why are most of us not prepared?

It's a topic that we've tried to tackle many times, in many different ways at CBC Vancouver. When the opportunity arose to create an original podcast, we decided to tell the story of a devastating B.C. earthquake -- in real-time.

Yup, we pulled an Orson Welles.

As a seismologist, I started with what I know -- the science behind what happens to the earth during a major quake. But it's what happens next that surprised, and terrified me.

Through candid conversations with engineers, emergency preparedness managers, first responders, and survivors, we learn the truth about how unprepared we really are.

Our team -- Shiral Tobin, Jessica Linzey, Lee Rosevere and I -- pieced together the big picture about what life will be like in the hours, weeks and months after a devastating earthquake. And although we had moments of dread we hope you will ultimately be left feeling as we did - with a sense of empowerment.

To hear the rest of the Fault Lines podcast, you can find it here.