Anastassia Timofeeva
Isela Guzman
Caroline Moreau
Anastassia Timofeeva, Caroline Moreau, Isela Guzman
Examining Recovery and Resilience following the July 15, 2021 Barrie Tornado
Professor Spinney and MDEM graduate students Anastassia Timofeeva, Caroline Moreau and Isela Guzman are carrying out a qualitative research project centred on examining the landscape and various contexts of recovery following the EF2 tornado that struck Barrie, Ontario on July 15, 2021. In this event, 106 homes were damaged and 71 of these were left uninhabitable. Through analysis of transcripts from interviews held with residents impacted by the event, as well as stakeholders involved in the recovery process, the research team aims to uncover:
- The differing ways that displacement, home ownership, and access to and availability of adequate insurance influences recovery experiences;
- The types and extent of disruption, including mental health consequences, experienced by affected residents;
- The ways in which residents impacted by tornado disaster manage disruption in both the short and long-term;
- The degree that contexts of recovery influence self-reports of resilience; and finally,
- The varying perspectives held by residents and stakeholders regarding recovery activities, such as the successes and challenges associated with interaction during reconstruction and rehabilitation of residents’ lives following disaster.
The results of the study will aid Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) in their efforts to mitigate harm and impacts to communities across the province and will be helpful for the organization as they work toward generating evidence-informed practical guidelines for building capacity and enhancing resilience for communities preparing for, responding to, and impacted by tornado disasters.
Sarah Cowan, Zak Linley, Willow Weber
Overcoming Barriers to Wildfire Preparedness
This research begins by understanding the knowledge gaps around the uptake of preparedness measures. Recent MDEM graduate Sarah Cowan, MDEM student Zak Linley, and BDEM student Willow Weber have been conducting a systematic review on the topic, which was recently presented at the Canadian and United Kingdom wildfire conferences in 2022. The next phase of the project will involve connecting with community members to understand their perceived preparedness, the barriers that they face, and the supports they need to build more resilient communities.
We know how to reduce the risk of wildfires destroying homes and communities – but it’s often difficult to actually make these changes. Property updates can be expensive, complicated, and require significant maintenance over time. To help overcome these barriers, Dr. Eric Kennedy (Associate Professor, DEM) is leading a team of researchers in reviewing the evidence and working with community members to understand the barriers they face.
Sarah Cowan
Willow Weber
Christian Faize Canaan
Christian Faize Canaan
As a student in the MDEM program, I had the opportunity to study the topics of cold war civil defence, the history of the disaster and emergency management profession, and nuclear war preparedness and response. My research focused on Ottawa’s Diefenbunker, which served as the nation’s primary continuity of government site which was a nuclear fallout shelter for top-level national leaders during the mid-twentieth century.
My research generated findings related to present day nuclear war preparedness in Canada. Both barriers and opportunities were revealed concerning dereliction or adaptive reuse for Cold War era nuclear bunker sites. Given current geopolitical threats, what was old is again new and with the doomsday clock at 90 seconds to midnight, the risks of nuclear war are still relevant for the emergency management community to consider.
The completed the MDEM Major Research Paper titled “Exploring Reuse or Dereliction of a Cold War Era Nuclear Bunker: An Observational Study of Canada’s Diefenbunker” was supervised by Dr. Jack L. Rozdilsky and it is available for reading at Exploring Reuse or Dereliction of a Cold War Era Nuclear Bunker: An Observational Study of Canada’s Diefenbunker
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The Graduate Program in Disaster & Emergency Management at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.