Fort MCcmurry- Alberta Wild Fires

Question 1

Duration/ time

Answer 1

Canada, may 2016

Question 2

Location:

Answer 2

Alberta, Canada

Question 3

3 ingredients to start a wild fire

Answer 3

. Ignition
. Fuel
. Weather

Question 4

Evacuation

Answer 4

. 90, 000 were evacuated however there was huge congestion because highway 63 was the only active road in use

Question 5

Canadian wildfire information system

Answer 5

. GIS ( geographical information system) where put in place for lots of data to be brought together ( weather and wind ) to tell the police where to deploy resources and where to evacuate

Question 6

How did the NGO, the Canadian Red Cross help?

Answer 6

. Refugee camps
. Supply of food, water and shelter

Question 7

Why were indigenous/ First Nations people particularly get impacted?

Answer 7

. The indigenous tribe be tend to follow the animals, however due to the animals hybernating, they had no food to rely on and nowhere to go

Question 8

Social impacts: (2)-(2)

Answer 8

Short term:
. Blocked roads, railway lines, electricity mobile cut
. Highway 63 was the only road available

Long term:
. 88,000 people forced to leave their homes
. Many people effected by PTSD

Question 9

Economic impacts: (1)-(2)

Answer 9

Short term
. Red Cross emergency funding immediately ( around $160 million)
Long term
. Oil production lost about 47 million barrels ( shell Canada shut down )
. Oil sands production closed for weeks ( 14% decline)

Question 10

Environmental impacts (2)-(1)

Answer 10

Short term
. 4500 hectors of land burnt
. Few million tonnes of CO2 emitted
Long term
. Toxins mixed with ash- the next rainfall will result in a massive toxic surge ( may enter water ways

Question 11

Causes of wild fires

Answer 11

. 90% of wild fires are caused by humans

Question 12

Preventing wild fires

Answer 12

. Remove dead leaves and branches
. Organise controlled burning
. Educate the public

Question 13

Responses:

Answer 13

. South Africa sent 301 fire fighters at the request of the Canadian Interagency forest fire centre

Question 14

El Niño

Answer 14

A climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on weather

Question 15

How does El Niño affect wildfires?

Answer 15

El Niño conditions create high sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which leads to warm and dry conditions in prone regions
(Wetter conditions in southern United States so drier conditions in northern USA Canada )