hazards -wildfire case study

Question 1

what was the wildfire called that hit fort mcmurray in 2016?

Answer 1

.the beast

Question 2

where did the beast wildfire hit?

Answer 2

.alberta

Question 3

when did the Alberta wildfire occur?

Answer 3

.may 2016

Question 4

what was the nature of the Alberta wildlife?

Answer 4

.lasted for 2 months
.the fire was first spotted by a helicopter forestry crew in a remote area 15km from Fort McMurray -first responders arrived 45 minutes later
.initially the fire was controlled but a shift in wind direction resulted in the spread to Fort McMurray

Question 5

what was the official cause of the wildlife?

Answer 5

.it is unsure but suspected to be human caused

Question 6

what was the weather and climate like when Alberta wildfire started?

Answer 6

.unusually hot due to dry air mass in place over Northern Alberta, which brought record-setting temperatures of over 30°c and winds of over 72km/h
.El Niño cycle had caused a dry autumn and winter and a warm spring which resulted in less snow and earlier melting

Question 7

how could climate change be linked to causing the wildfire?

Answer 7

.climate change could result in earlier springs in high latitudes - this could extend the fire season and increase the likelihood of a wildfire hazard

Question 8

what did the intensity of the fire create?

Answer 8

.created its own weather patterns, including lightning, which led to the ignition of additional fires in the area -this shows how ferocious and intense the fire was

Question 9

what were some reasons as to why the fire was so hard to control?

Answer 9

.the fire jumped a 1km river
.wind carried burning embers ignited fire well ahead of the fire front

Question 10

what were the social impacts?

Answer 10

.2400 homes and businesses destroyed
.90 000 residents had to evacuate
.people could not return until spring 2017
.power supplies disrupted.
.water supplies contaminated as untreated water was deliberately introduced into the municipal water supply to assist firefighters

Question 11

what were the economic impacts?

Answer 11

.CAN$9 bn of damage to Fort McMurray
.1.2 million barrels of oil were lost per day for 14 days -equates to a loss of $1 billion

Question 12

what were the environmental impacts?

Answer 12

.600 000 hectares of land was burned
.toxic air pollution due to the burning of cars, factories, and
buildings
.500 species lost their habitats

Question 13

what were the political impacts of the Alberta wildfire?

Answer 13

.the fire fuelled debate about possible impacts of climate change and increased vulnerability in the future
.government officials oversaw evacuation programmes and liaised with emergency services

Question 14

what were the social immediate responses?

Answer 14

.news coverage and social media were used to update residents -an online registry was created to help evacuees find accommodation
.shelters and food were offered to evacuees to meet their basic needs
.mass evacuation of 90,000 residents

Question 15

what were the main immediate responses?

Answer 15

.warnings issued
.emergency services mobilised
.government declared a state of emergency
.meteorological information used to forecast likely direction of fire’s track

Question 16

what were the social long term responses?

Answer 16

.government of Alberta set up an air and water quality monitoring programme
.long term temporary shelters
.re-entry programme was implemented by the government

Question 17

what were the economic long term responses?

Answer 17

.public transport links repaired, encouraging people to move about and stimulate economic development
.$1000 was granted by the Canadian Red Cross to small businesses to encourage local contractors back into work