CIHR Cafe Scientifique

Fostering Resilience: Lessons Learned from Community Experience with Wildfire

November 3, 2010

EVENT SUMMARY: Of all the types of natural disasters that communities have faced, wildfire has proven to be the most challenging due to its random nature and inherent variability in space and time.  Global and regional climate change models suggest that the fire window in Canada is likely to expand due to projected increases in temperature, decreases in precipitation, and increased frequencies of lightning strikes, thus escalating the socioeconomic impacts of wildfire.  The potential severity of consequences for water supplies, biodiversity, recreation and the forestry industry can have a substantial impact on the quality of health of affected communities.  Disaster management plans often focus on the need for emergency preparedness, while failing to consider or minimally referencing strategies to address post-disaster mental health needs.  Understanding the role that community resilience plays in the post-disaster recovery period is an integral part of disaster management.  The strength of community resilience is determined by a population’s ability to exploit vulnerabilities, resources, and adaptive capacities as the community adapts functionally to the altered environment.

Sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the University of Lethbridge, Cafe Scientifiques provide insight into health-related issues of interest to the general public in a casual atmosphere. A key feature is the interaction and discussion amongst the public and the researchers.