A cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore collided with a bridge in a technological disaster that may have claimed the lives of up to six maintenance workers on the bridge at the time.
Dairy cows try and stay dry in their barn as flood waters rise near Agassiz, B.C., in November 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Despite improvements in disaster response management since the Abbotsford floods of 2021, long-term animal welfare remains woefully underappreciated in B.C.
Damage from a tornado is seen in Dunrobin, Ont., west of Ottawa, in September 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Governments and the media remain focused on responding to disasters, not preventing or preparing for them. Here’s what must change — and will and won’t work — as Canada faces increased disaster risks.
People receive crates of water in the aftermath of earthquakes in the Samandag district of Hatay, Turkey.
Erdem Sahin/EPA
Social workers encountered challenges in providing their services in the aftermath of the Turkey earthquakes, facing obstacles outside of their control.
During times of crisis, it is important to communicate clearly.
(Shutterstock)
Tailoring crisis communications strategies across the phases of the disaster management cycle is a more successful approach and can help co-ordinate disaster responses.
Lava flows from a fissure near Grindavik, Iceland, on Jan. 14, 2024.
Iceland Department of Civil Protection
Communities along the bank of the dam have been victims of injustice since the early 1960s.
Disasters affect all, human and non-human alike. It is imperative that we consider the harms to non-human life and ecosystems as both a moral obligation and a realistic effort to preserve the ecosystem services upon which we all rely.
(Jesse Brothers/Sioux City Journal via AP)
Focusing solely on humans at the expense of other life in the aftermath of train derailments limits the effectiveness of our disaster response management.
Inner city occupations and shack settlements alike are the inevitable consequence of the fact that huge populations of people have to get by without a living wage.
People without vehicles line up in Yellowknife to register for a flight to Alberta; residents were ordered to evacuate the area because of encroaching wildfire.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Braden
As the mass evacuation of Yellowknife unfolds, the needs of minority populations will emerge. Past experiences indicate emergency officials may not be ready to meet the needs of a diverse population.
Almost half of all crises are disasters waiting to happen, because warnings have been unheeded or ignored.
Thick plumes of heavy smoke fill the Halifax sky as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spreads, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents on May 28, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark
There is an alarming lack of disaster preparedness plans in Canada that consider the unique risks and needs of unhoused people during wildfires.
The Bald Mountain Wildfire in the Grande Prairie area in Alberta in May 2023. Much of B.C. and Alberta is already experiencing higher-than-usual wildfire risk.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Government of Alberta Fire Service
High-risk, high-uncertainty events like earthquakes tend to fall out of view when we are occupied with more predictable seasonal events like wildfires, which have very visible effects on our lives.
Fire at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images
To keep up with climate-related disasters, we need transformational solutions. These range from ‘sponge cities’ and floating houses to putting out bushfires minutes after they start.