The author Amanda Bath talks about living at Johnson’s Landing at the time of the deadly landslides of 2012, and her new book Disaster in Paradise: The Landslides in Johnson’s Landing (Harbour Publishing, 2015), with Joseph Planta.

Disaster in Paradise: The Landslides in Johnson’s Landing by Amanda Bath (Harbour Publishing, 2015). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Disaster in Paradise

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

We’re coming up to the third anniversary of the landslides in Johnson’s Landing. On 12 July 2012, a rapid debris avalanche descended down the mountain on the eastern shore of British Columbia’s Kootenay Lake. Four people were killed, as well a number of houses were destroyed. Amanda Bath’s home was amongst the homes devastated, and the next day, she went back to look for her cat. She just missed being hit by a second landslide which buried her house. You might recall the video that went viral, shot by Global News. That was Bath, managing to escape just in time. She has written a book about the experience, as well as the community and the members of which were killed. The book is called Disaster in Paradise: The Landslides in Johnson’s Landing. It chronicles the devastation and the recovery. As well remembers the dead. It looks at this BC community and those that rallied around it, as well as what’s happened in the three years since. Amanda Bath was born and raised in England, and moved to Johnson’s Landing in 1993. She holds a PhD in Catalan Literature, and lives in Kaslo, BC now, with her husband Christopher Klassen. This is her first book, and it’s from Harbour Publishing. It’s a wonderfully written account that you ought to get. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Kaslo, BC, Amanda Bath; Dr. Bath, good morning.

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