Guest post by Yosé Cormier, Red Cross blogger
There’s no question that Canada has had its fair share of challenging weather over the last year. Just think back to the Alberta floods or the ice storm that hit Eastern Canada. There have been an unusually high number of severe weather situations that have kept Red Cross disaster teams on high alert across the country.
In fact, in 2013, the Canadian Red Cross helped 91,000 people in need of emergency assistance; that’s more than four times as many people compared with 2012. And while some disasters, such as Lac Mégantic, were man-made, most were caused by severe weather.
According to Dave Phillips, a veteran Environment Canada climatologist, Canadians should expect that extreme weather will be the new norm. Even the seasons are becoming more unpredictable and unbalanced.
“Temperatures are climbing, sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting, flowers are blooming sooner, animals are increasing their range further north,” he noted during a presentation to Red Cross staff and volunteers during an Emergency Preparedness Week event in Toronto, on May 6.
Environment Canada climatologist Dave Phillips (4th from the left) poses with Red Cross volunteers and staff.
Mr. Phillips has worked with Environment Canada for over 40 years and has studied the climate of Canada extensively. He notes that changing weather patterns are having a tremendous impact, both in terms of changing landscapes and economic repercussions.
A trend toward urbanization, or development of homes in high-risk areas such as near the ocean or along flood plains, is contributing to the hefty costs that governments, insurance companies and individual Canadians are facing due to weather related damages.
The good news, Mr. Phillips says, is that Canadians have a certain respect for weather and are generally educated about it. And we are, albeit slowly, beginning to adapt and prepare as weather patterns continue to change in unpredictable fashion.
Still more remains to be done to limit the impact weather-related disasters have.
The Canadian Red Cross believes individuals and families can take steps to better prepare themselves for potential disasters. There are three easy things that each of us can do:
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Know the risks
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Have a plan
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Get an emergency preparedness kit
Find out more at
www.redcross.ca/ready.