Alberta wildfire Flashcards
When did the fire begin?
May 1st 2016
How far did the blaze spread within the first few days?
From 1,200 hectares to over 220,000 hectares.
Why did it get out of control so quickly?
There were windy conditions in the area.
At one point it jumped over a 1 km wide river
How long did the wildfire last?
2 months although under control by 5th July w/ only small areas of fire left
What did the gov do beforehand which they were criticised for?
Cut $15mil from the provinces fire suppression budget.
Why were ppl not prepared?
Often fires in Fort McMurray so ppl were used to it and believed they were safe as there were regulations protecting their homes. Not prepared for fire of that scale.
What were the impacts on mental health?
Traumatic - ppl terrified of it happening again. Some watched their homes burn down thro tech.
Authorities warned residents they burnt roadsides in controlled way to not trigger ppl.
Gov. approved mental health budget of $18.65 mil for the first year to conduct mental health programmes.
How has human intervention made WF worse?
Rapid control over fires which means they have occurred and spread less. As a result forests have become dominated by more mature and older trees which act as fire fuel and fires become harder to control.
What were the weather conditions around the time?
V. high temperatures which dried out vegetation and removed surface moisture. Strong south-easterly winds providing oxygen and blew cinders which spread fire further.
Also a 12 month drought in northern part of state and lack of snow over winter which would have kept ground moist.
What were some of the environmental impacts?
- Around 500 tree species lost their habitats and now live in danger due to fire contamination
- Contaminated water, Athabasca River the worst
- The burning of cars, factories and buildings released toxic mercury particles into the air
- Produced wastes like ash and rotting food
What were 2 major economic impacts of the WF?
- Dropped the overall GDP of Alberta to a negative value in the yr 2016 - didn’t impact national GDP
- Oil sand industry sig. in Alberta and = lots of jobs. During the WF 1.2 million barrels of oil were lost a day on av. for 14 days
= $985 mil real GDP and 0.33 out of Alberta’s GDP 2016
When were ppl evacuated?
May 3rd
How many homes had to be rebuilt?
470
How much was granted to small businesses to help them after the WF?
$1000
