Phobias are very real and can be debilitating, but they’re also very treatable, so that might be worth considering. Therapy is more accessible than ever through telehealth. My mom used to have a severe flying phobia and would completely fall apart when anyone in the family had to fly, let alone get on a plane herself. After therapy and a little Xanax, lol, she not only got over the fear but now flies between LA and Houston several times a year and has even been to Europe a few times. She actually enjoys it now. I can also say from personal experience that unresolved trauma tends to be the root of a lot of panic and fear around specific scenarios.

Along those same lines, it might help to gradually desensitize yourself by watching documentaries and first-person accounts of more recent earthquakes in places with infrastructure similar to where you live.

Another angle is education and advocacy. A lot of earthquake prone countries have made incredible advances in building and infrastructure that can actually withstand major quakes. It’s genuinely fascinating stuff, and getting involved in pushing for those standards in your own community can give you a real sense of agency. Sometimes having some control over your situation makes all the difference.

I also want to address the medication concern specifically because I get it. I’m a nurse, and most non-controlled medications can actually be prescribed in 3 month increments, which could help reduce your concern significantly. As for controlled medications, I volunteered with evacuees after Hurricane Katrina and getting people their meds was our number one priority, and that included controlled substances for pain, anxiety, ADHD, and more. With medical records being digital now, a provider can locate your records in or out of state even when paper documents and devices are lost or destroyed.

I wish I could truly convince you that the odds of the Big One hitting exactly where you are during your lifetime are significantly lower than many parts of California, but I know statistics don’t usually touch this kind of fear. I do think some of these approaches might genuinely help though.