Week 16 - Canada's Main Natural Hazards

 The two main natural disasters in Canada are floods and wildfires. Floods mostly occur due to events such as heavy rainfall, melting snow, groundwater flooding, coastal storm surges, etc. The amount of wildfires has been increasing in Canada due to global warming causing warmer-than-average temperatures, drought conditions, and a decrease in soil moisture. These natural disasters are pretty destructive, recent statistics show in the 2023 wildland fire season over 230,000 people had to be evacuated and 6,623 wildland fires burned more than 15 million hectares of forests.

How to Prepare Your Home From Floods:

  • Store important documents at a higher level in your home to protect them from flood damage.
  • Make copies of important documents or digitize them. Include important documents in your emergency kit.
  • Purchase sandbags to prevent water from entering your home.
  • Learn how to turn off utilities such as electricity and gas in your residence. Local authorities may instruct you to shut off utilities.
  • Determine if there are any special precautions required to safeguard electrical, natural gas, fuel oil, or propane heating equipment. Contact your electricity or fuel supplier for instructions.
  • In a rural farm setting, sheltering livestock may be the wrong thing to do during a flood. Leaving animals unsheltered is preferable because floodwaters could trap animals inside a barn.

How to Prepare for Wildfires:

  • Remove any fire hazards in and around your home, such as dried-out branches, leaves, and debris
  • FireSmart Canada has information and resources to increase the resiliency of your home and your community to wildfires.
  • Keep a sprinkler in good working condition available.
  • Have smoke detectors on every level of your home, preferably in every bedroom.
  • Test smoke detectors once a month. Replace batteries every 6 months. Replace the smoke detector every 10 years.
  • Have carbon monoxide alarms in your home that are in proper working order
  • Consult with your local fire department or a qualified engineer about making your home fire-resistant.
  • Know how to turn off the utilities in your residence. Local authorities may instruct you to shut them off.

Which Spot in Canada Would I help First:

I would choose to help British Columbia, Canada as they face many risks with floods because of rising sea levels. I would help them by following the steps on how to prepare for floods, adding elevated buildings, and providing other materials such as sandbags, etc.

Where Would I Construct My House in Canada:

I would build my house in Victoria, British Columbia as they are at very low risk of having droughts and have low risk of disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Having a low risk of droughts also means that there is less chance of wildfires happening as plants and trees are healthy and not easily burnt.

Sources:

https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/hzd/flds-en.aspx

https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/wildland-fires-insects-disturbances/forest-fires/13143

https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/hzd/flds-prp-en.aspx#before

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000287

https://dangeloandsons.com/study-canadian-cities-least-and-most-affected-by-climate-change/#:~:text=1.,risk%20of%20floods%20and%20hurricanes.

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