Googling current wildfire activity for BC is terrifying. The province is a cluster of multi-coloured dots, each one indicating a fire, with an orange flame emoji beside the ones that are considered of note. And it’s starting to become a concern close to home: outside my building, signage has been posted informing smokers to use the provided ashtrays.
Over the weekend, The New York Times wrote an article about how BC is fighting nearly 300 wildfires at once, but, luckily, the island is doing alright. As with many things, we’re on a bit of an oasis here.
It’s a different story for much of the province. I have family in Kelowna, and was up half the night last night worrying about what would happen if the winds changed, worrying about if they had a place to go to for safety, just worrying in general.
Natural disasters are a part of life, unfortunately, and with the forest fires on top of the pandemic, it can feel like we’re all—still—living in a dystopia.
When any kind of threat comes knocking, however faint the sound of knuckles on the door may be, it’s important to be prepared. The earthquake kit in the back of my closet does in a pinch as a forest-fire go bag, and as I breathe in, feeling the tight strain of anxiety and smoke in my chest, I have to remind myself that being ready isn’t being over the top, it’s just being ready.
When my mind flashes back to last fall, I shudder to think that this fall may be more of the same. When images of the tops of Douglas firs being engulfed in smoke and online Collaborate classes dominate those memories, it’s easy to feel that we’re stuck in time.
But we’re making progress, trudging through the mud as best we can, and there is no better way to make progress than to keep your education going.
For now, the skies aren’t too smoky over Victoria, but winds change, so stay safe out there, students, and we’ll see you all in a few weeks. Just remember, no matter how many setbacks there are, eventually things will get up and going again sooner or later.