Oct. 13 marks the United Nations鈥� International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, a global call to action to prevent and lessen the impact of disasters. This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淔und Resilience, Not Disasters,鈥� highlights the urgent need to shift from costly crisis response to smarter investments in risk reduction. As Canada faces increased risks from wildfires, floods, extreme weather and other hazards, experts from 91亚色鈥檚 Disaster & Emergency Management (DEM) program are available to provide insight on disaster preparedness, risk mitigation, climate resilience, and how evidence-based planning can strengthen communities and reduce disaster impacts.

is an associate professor of DEM and director of 91亚色鈥檚 Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Governance, Response Institute (Y-EMERGE). He is also editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management.

Kennedy鈥檚 research focuses on wildfire management and the human and social dimensions of fire, particularly the use of data and evidence in fire decision-making. His lab group focuses on a central question: how might we help people, communities, and agencies live in better relationship with wildland fire by integrating evidence and values?

Current projects include enhancing the use of predictive services in fire management, increasing the uptake of wildfire mitigation by local governments, and building linkages between research users and producers in fire.

Key areas of focus:

• Wildfire management in Canada and around the world
• Wildfire response
• Fire risk mitigation

is an associate professor of DEM, and the graduate program director handling the University鈥檚 master鈥檚 and doctoral programs in DEM.

Her areas of interest include social vulnerability and capability in the disaster context; hosting and resettlement; international responses to natural-hazard disasters; and risk assessment. Mamuji鈥檚 research aims to capture the lived experience of various priority groups facing disasters across Canada. She is currently researching international aid transfer and the provision of humanitarian assistance in the context of mass violence.

Key areas of focus:

• International response to natural-hazard disasters
• Risk assessment
• Social vulnerability

is a professor and a founding faculty member of 91亚色鈥檚 DEM program. She holds a PhD in Water Resources from Kyoto University and has over 35 years of professional experience in her field. Her textbook, Natural Disasters and Risk Management in Canada: An Introduction, published by Springer, is one of the most used textbooks in emergency management.

Her wide-ranging research includes: threat assessment from potential natural, intentional, and technological hazards; public safety; disaster resilience in a changing climate; and the use of geospatial technologies for decision-making.

Agrawal is an adjunct professor at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and a co-director of the CDSN-MINDS project on domestic operations.

Key areas of focus:

• Climate change and natural hazards
• Flood risk mitigation and adaptation
• Disaster risk, risk perceptions and disaster resilience
• Early warning systems and response strategies

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Two years after devastating wildfires razed 90 per cent of Lytton, B.C.,  and residents remain displaced and .

This summer, , including almost the entire population of Yellowknife, due to a wildfire.

The year 2023, in fact, marked Canada鈥檚  wildfire season, with nearly 19 million hectares of forest scorched by mid-October.

Unfortunately the cycle of disaster and displacement is not new in Canada, according to the . It indicates 351 disasters took place from 2000-2020, resulting in the displacement of an estimated 569,224 people and almost $20 billion in costs.

Humanitarian approach

Canada faces a , and the impact and financial costs of these crises are .

In 2022, Canada saw , more than five times higher than the annual average over 1983 to 2008. This 鈥渘ew normal鈥� includes annual multi-billion-dollar insured losses following increasingly destructive climate-driven events.

Canada鈥檚 response to climate-related disasters follows a familiar pattern 鈥� local authorities and provincial and territorial resources become overwhelmed, prompting the federal government and the Canadian Armed Forces .

This reliance on the army as a 鈥溾�� for domestic emergencies is costly and logistically challenging.

Essentially, Canada鈥檚 approach mirrors the humanitarian approach to international crises. However, these recurring disasters  the armed forces鈥� capacity to respond effectively, leading to  of how Canada currently handles environmental disasters.

Fundamentally, humanitarianism involves saving lives and safeguarding vulnerable populations. Internationally, humanitarian aid focuses on immediate necessities during emergencies, sometimes in contrast to international development aimed at enhancing long-term human well-being.

Unfortunately, investments in long-term international development  for years, while global spending on short-term humanitarian assistance reached nearly  in 2022.

Deferring investments

Many governments apparently prefer responding with humanitarian aid after disasters, rather than supporting development activities that would reduce disaster impacts. That鈥檚 problematic.

Federal and provincial governments have deferred expensive investments that would reduce the impact of extreme weather events, just as they continue  from oil and gas extraction.

This 鈥溾�� is the impetus behind Canada鈥檚 first National Climate Adaptation Strategy introduced earlier this year. The gap is evident in the  from high-emitting provinces over the federal government鈥檚 clean electricity targets and its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Despite the fact that a  of Canadians support increased investments in climate action, governments continue to pass the buck on climate policy. Instead, endless debates over carbon pricing monopolize much of the public discussion on climate policy.

In doing so, governments are in effect creating different classes of Canadian citizens. Rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities located further from southern cities and emergency management resources will remain reliant on the Canadian Armed Forces to come to their aid in times of crisis.

If the frequency of such disasters increases while the army鈥檚 capacity to respond is already strained, then these communities will continue to experience humanitarian responses that do little to protect their communities in advance and fail to support reconstruction or strengthen community resilience for the future.

Policy choice

This shortfall in climate adaptation and preparedness is a policy choice that has significant implications for Canadians.

The current humanitarian model for responding to environmental disasters is politically expedient, but it鈥檚 neither cheap nor effective. It is also contrary to our understanding of sovereignty.

Sovereignty involves a  in which governments pledge to protect their citizens in exchange for their loyalty to its institutions and constitutional order.

Protecting citizens requires defending them when threats arise and preparing for those threats. When governments fail to adequately safeguard their citizens, respond only after crises have already begun or neglect long-term needs, they fall short of their responsibilities.

As residents of one of the world鈥檚 wealthiest nations, Canadians should demand greater accountability from their governments to reduce the need for last-minute humanitarian efforts in the face of climate-related disasters in their communities.

Co-authored by , assistant professor in the Department of Equity Studies, 91亚色

This article is republished from 

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University experts can discuss the storm鈥檚 impact including flooding-related issues, evacuation, disaster and risk management related to Houston

TORONTO, August 29, 2017鈹� The damage by Hurricane Harvey continues to grow as Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, continues to receive more rain this week. Harvey has unloaded trillions of gallons of water since it made landfall on the Texas gulf coast late Friday night. The National Weather Service has called this weather event 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� on advising 鈥渁ll impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety.鈥�

91亚色 has experts available to comment on disaster and emergency management, water flood management, evacuation of residents and recovery from this dangerous natural disaster.

, associate professor of Disaster and Emergency Management in the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies is available for media interviews on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery, and natural disasters, including his first-hand research experience on Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ike. His research combines disaster-related scholarship with emergency management and homeland security practice. He has actively explored a variety of disaster-related circumstances, some of which include the Montserrat volcanic crisis, Hurricane Katrina, tornado disasters, the Ferguson civil disturbances, 9/11 memorialization, and the 70th anniversary of the first use of the atomic bomb.

He can speak to:

• Role of emergency management, what is happening right now, coordination between federal and local authorities, FEMA etc.
• Comparison of the impact of Hurricane Harvey to Hurricane Katrina, specifically its scope and size
• The choice by the Houston mayor not to evacuate the city
• Why this hurricane is a test for the new FEMA director
• Disaster recovery and aftermath (physical and social aspects)

Ali Asgary

Ali Asgary,聽associate professor Disaster & Emergency Management & Associate Director of Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation (ADERSIM) in the School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, is available for media interviews to discuss the hurricane鈥檚 potential impact, emergency preparedness and management. His research includes creating .

He can speak to:

• The impact of evacuation
• Criteria for evacuation in a disaster

, associate professor in the School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, serves as an elected editorial board member for the Springer publication 鈥淣atural Hazards鈥�, has co-edited a book on "Indian Ocean tsunami", and is the lead author of "Tsunami Travel Time Atlas for the Atlantic Ocean", which provides charts of tsunami travel times to 118 locations around the Atlantic Ocean.

She can speak to:

• Increase of flood risk due to urbanisation
• Disaster risk management; business continuity
• Physical dynamics of natural hazards
• Disaster management using GIS and remote sensing techniques

, assistant professor in Civil Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering,聽91亚色. His research interests lie in water resources engineering, focusing on urban hydrology, including flood risk assessment and uncertainty analysis, sustainable聽water resource management and infrastructure, and the impacts of climate change on these systems. In addition to this, Khan has worked with municipal governments, providing his expertise to a number of stormwater, watershed management and urban hydrology projects.

He can speak to:

• Whether low impact development technologies could help reduce the risk of floods in Houston
• How to improve existing stormwater infrastructure to reduce the risk of floods in the future
• How data analytics and modelling tools can be used to better highlight the risk of floods in Houston and other urban areas

is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contacts:
Anjum Nayyar, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 44543, anayyar@yorku.ca

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