Search

Background: Every year, people in Canada are evacuated due to wildland fires to avoid death, injury, and illness from fire and smoke events. Aims: In this paper, we provide an overview of evacuations recorded in the Canadian Wildland Fire Evacuation Database between 1980 and 2021. Methods: Our analysis covers evacuations in Canada from 1980 to 2021. We provide summary statistics including number of evacuations and evacuees, evacuation duration, seasonality, evacuation causes, community types, structure losses, and fatalities. We also investigate temporal and spatial patterns. Key results: Between 1980 and 2021, there were 1393 wildland fire evacuation events with 576,747 people evacuated. During this period, there was an overall increase in frequency of evacuations, number of evacuees, and duration of events. Structure loss occurred during 194 evacuation events, with 4105 homes burned. We estimate wildland fire evacuations cost at least CAD3.7 billion (excluding structural losses), jumping to CAD4.6 billion if we include productivity losses. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately impacted in wildfire evacuations compared to the general Canadian population. Conclusions: Wildland fire evacuations continue to occur across Canada and are increasing. Implications: The findings from this study give us a better understanding of the characteristics of wildland fire evacuations, which can help guide emergency management. This paper summarises data on wildland fire evacuations in Canada between 1980 and 2021. There were 1393 wildland fire evacuation events with 576,747 people evacuated, costing approximately CAD4.6 billion CDN including productivity losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate crisis significantly impacts the health and well-being of older adults, both directly and indirectly. This issue is of growing concern in Canada due to the country's rapidly accelerating warming trend and expanding elderly population. This article serves a threefold purpose: (i) outlining the impacts of the climate crisis on older adults, (ii) providing a descriptive review of existing policies with a specific focus on the Canadian context, and (iii) promoting actionable recommendations. Our review reveals the application of current strategies, including early warning systems, enhanced infrastructure, sustainable urban planning, healthcare access, social support systems, and community engagement, in enhancing resilience and reducing health consequences among older adults. Within the Canadian context, we then emphasize the importance of establishing robust risk metrics and evaluation methods to prepare for and manage the impacts of the climate crisis efficiently. We underscore the value of vulnerability mapping, utilizing geographic information to identify regions where older adults are most at risk. This allows for targeted interventions and resource allocation. We recommend employing a root cause analysis approach to tailor risk response strategies, along with a focus on promoting awareness, readiness, physician training, and fostering collaboration and benchmarking. These suggestions aim to enhance disaster risk management for the well-being and resilience of older adults in the face of the climate crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of various extreme weather events that occurred in 2023. It attributes the global heat to El Niño and global warming, resulting in record-breaking temperatures and droughts in some areas. The year began with extreme heat and cold, accompanied by major flooding in Africa, the Philippines, and New Zealand. The article also mentions the "Zombie Cyclone" that caused heavy rain, high winds, and flooding as it traveled from Indonesia to Madagascar and Mozambique. It further discusses Canada's historic wildfire season, extreme summer heat in North America and Asia, and other notable events such as record-breaking temperatures in Algeria, Morocco, and Albania, scorching temperatures in China, historic flooding in the eastern Mediterranean, deadly monsoon flooding in South Asia, Hurricane Otis in Mexico, and storms in Europe causing flooding and power outages. The article concludes by mentioning the forecasted dissipation of El Niño in 2024, which may result in lower global temperatures. [Extracted from the article]

Responding to disastrous wildfires traversing geographical scales requires multi‐actor collaboration to address a series of interdependent operational tasks. While this type of distributed collective action problem is salient across governance contexts, less is known about if and how collaboration helps individual actors effectively address their tasks. Applying a novel network‐centric method to wildfire responder networks in Canada and Sweden, this study shows that when actors working on the same tasks collaborate, and/or when one actor addresses two interdependent tasks, effectiveness increases. The number of collaborative ties an actor has with others does not enhance effectiveness. Furthermore, when the chain of command is unclear, and/or when actors lack recent disaster management experience and/or pre‐existing collaborative relationships, effectiveness only increases if multiple actors collaborate over multiple interdependent tasks. The results have implications for disaster response agencies, and they provide valuable insights for collaborative responses to significant societal and environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost every year, First Nations are evacuated in Canada because of wildfire proximity and smoke. Dynamics of wildfires, and remote locations, unique sociocultural characteristics, and limited emergency management resources present challenges for evacuation organizers and residents. This study explores how Dene Tha' First Nation evacuated their Taché community in July 2012 due to wildfire smoke and how the evacuation process affected evacuees. Interviews were completed with 31 evacuation organizers and residents to examine the factors that helped and hindered the evacuation process. Lack of information about the nearby wildfire, smoke, and evacuation of the nearby small community of Zama City, combined with a generic evacuation plan, delayed and posed challenges during the evacuation of this Dene Tha' community. Strong leadership and its role in community organizing, keeping families together, providing the social support they needed, and using familiar host communities, demonstrated and contributed to the community's resilience during the evacuation. Measures to improve evacuations and emergency management in the community and other First Nations in Canada are identified and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 3, 2016, a wildfire swept into the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta. This natural disaster was significant in both its scale and impact, as the fire prompted a sudden onset evacuation of 88,000 persons. As we reflect on the 150th Commemoration of Canada's confederation, this 2016 natural disaster ranks as Canada's most costly disaster. The fire resulted in over $3.5 billion in insured losses. Approximately 2400 buildings were destroyed. In looking towards the future, climate change impacts are expected to cause wildfires that will be progressively worse. This paper explores the Fort McMurray wildfire through the lens of the four pillars of emergency management: response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness. By exploring aspects of Canada's most recent mass evacuation, the country can better ready itself for a future where fire will be one of the primary natural disasters reshaping Canadian landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Nation reserves in Canada are at high risk from wildfires, with many evacuated every year. There is a need to understand how First Nations are affected by wildfire evacuations to identify ways to reduce negative impacts. The First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership has conducted research to explore evacuation experiences of seven First Nations in three Canadian provinces. This paper presents findings from research across the seven First Nations. Results show that few participating First Nations had an up to date emergency plan tailored to their community, which contributed to challenges during the evacuation. Family separation, insufficient information, and worries about losing their house caused considerable distress for evacuees. Wildfire smoke health impacts occurred, particularly for those who had pre-existing health conditions. Social and financial support, if available, helped evacuees during and after their evacuation. Several years after First Nations return home after a wildfire evacuation, lingering distress continues and some First Nations were still experiencing fiscal challenges as a result of the evacuation. Recommendations for reducing negative impacts of wildfire evacuations on First Nations people are discussed. • Few First Nations had an up to date emergency plan tailored to their community. • Family separation and insufficient information contributed to distress. • Wildfire smoke impacts and fears about potential loss of home. • Social and financial support helped evacuees. • Lingering distress and fiscal challenges occurred after the evacuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]