I used to think that we lived in an area of Canada (Southern Ontario) with relatively benign weather. Yes, the winters can be harsh and we get the occasional tornado in the summer, but we don't suffer from widespread storms like hurricanes. It seems I was wrong. In the last decade, we've had three episodes of severe weather (two derechos and an ice storm) that have caused damage across a wide part of the province, including multi-day power outages.
Other areas of Canada have fared much worse. Right now, for example, we are suffering from wildfire outbreaks; something I devoutly hope never to see here.
Now the Canadian government has released a national disaster risk assessment that focuses on earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. The Weather Network has a summary of their findings.
On May 11, the federal government unveiled the country's first national-level disaster risk assessment, highlighting the catastrophe threats facing Canada and the current measures and resources in its emergency management systems to address them. The inaugural report addressed three hazards: Earthquakes, wildland fires, and floods, along with a section on the effects of pandemics such as COVID-19.
The goal of the assessment is to help Canadians understand the disaster risks they face so they can prepare for, manage and recover from emergencies, assist all emergency management partners make informed decisions to reduce, prepare for and respond to disasters, and aid in identifying strengths and weaknesses nationally to lessen the impacts of disasters for all Canadians
A later report will cover heat events, hurricanes, and space weather.
No comments:
Post a Comment