Pre-emptively announcing a state of emergency for prime eclipse-viewing areas in Canada’s Niagara Region is an example of prudent planning.
(Shutterstock)
A million people are anticipated to head to the Niagara Region to experience the total solar eclipse on April 8. Keeping large crowds of spectators safe may pose a challenge for the region.
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.
Many people are asking if Australian authorities are ready for the fire season. The real question to ask is – are we ready as individuals?
The Sudbury 17 wildfire burns east of Mississagi Provincial Park near Elliot Lake, Ont., in this June 4, 2023 handout photo.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Creating a federal agency — let’s call it the Emergency Management Agency of Canada or EMAC — would support comprehensive emergency management as Canada faces more and more natural disasters.
Vehicles line up during a drive-through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., in early January 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
Canada’s emergency management system is poorly funded and lacks consistent attention between disasters. This chronic underfunding has undermined public confidence and trust in emergency management.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta activated its emergency operations centre in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Centers for Disease Control/Unsplash)
Burnout as the result of workplace stress has big implications for employers. Occupational health and safety standards require employers to protect both the physical and mental health of workers.
Migrant workers in a Florida community hit hard by Hurricane Irma line up for donated supplies.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Misunderstanding disaster warnings can have catastrophic consequences for people who don’t speak the language used for emergency communications.
Stacked disasters – like a winter storm that damages a water system during a pandemic – can provide lessons for the next time around.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Shoring up surveillance and response systems and learning lessons from how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded will help the world be ready the next time around.
Victoria currently has three avian influenza outbreaks across six farms. They are being treated as an emergency. Here’s how authorities are responding.
It’s hard to avoid close contact during a hurricane evacuation and recovery.
Mehdi Taamallah/AFP/Getty Images
The US faces a high risk of hurricanes and other disasters this year that could leave thousands of people in need of shelter. COVID-19 will make those disasters more dangerous to manage.
Australia needs a nationally mobile, fully-funded emergency management workforce.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Why did some Texas coastal cities order mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Harvey while others, including Houston, did not? There is no formula for these decisions; either choice can backfire.
FirstNet could relieve emergency workers of having to carry multiple radios and other communications devices.
AP Photo/Ric Francis
A multibillion-dollar effort is just beginning to build an all-new nationwide wireless broadband network for emergency responders. How will it work, why do we need it and how will it last 25 years?
When calling these people, you want to be able to get through.
Fairfax County, Virginia
‘Denial of service’ cyberattacks are increasingly used to shut down websites. New research reveals that 911 call centers are vulnerable to the threat as well.
The view from Brooklyn on September 11, 2001.
Sara K. Schwittek/Reuters
Twitter users caught up in any emergency situation are usually quick to share their experience with followers. That information can be useful to authorities.
116 houses were lost at Wye River in Victoria, but nobody was killed.
AAP Image/Julian Smith