Evacuating a First Nation Due to Wildfire Smoke: The Case of Dene Tha’ First Nation

• Published in: International journal of disaster risk science Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 274 - 286
• Main Authors: Mottershead, Kyla D., McGee, Tara K., Christianson, Amy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Beijing Normal University Press 01.06.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Canada; Canadian native peoples; Climate Change; Community resilience; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emergencies; Emergency management; Emergency preparedness; Environment; Evacuation; Evacuation of civilians; Evacuation planning; First Nations; Indigenous peoples; Information processing; Iowa; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Leadership; Native North Americans; Natural Hazards; Ontario; Resource management; Smoke; Social interactions; Social networks; Sustainable Development; Wildfire smoke; Wildfires; Canada; Ontario; Iowa; Wildfire smoke; First Nations; Evacuation planning; Community resilience; Indigenous peoples
• ISSN: 2095-0055; 2192-6395
• DOI: 10.1007/s13753-020-00281-y

Almost every year, First Nations are evacuated in Canada because of wildfire proximity and smoke. Dynamics of wildfires, and remote locations, unique sociocultural characteristics, and limited emergency management resources present challenges for evacuation organizers and residents. This study explores how Dene Tha’ First Nation evacuated their Taché community in July 2012 due to wildfire smoke and how the evacuation process affected evacuees. Interviews were completed with 31 evacuation organizers and residents to examine the factors that helped and hindered the evacuation process. Lack of information about the nearby wildfire, smoke, and evacuation of the nearby small community of Zama City, combined with a generic evacuation plan, delayed and posed challenges during the evacuation of this Dene Tha’ community. Strong leadership and its role in community organizing, keeping families together, providing the social support they needed, and using familiar host communities, demonstrated and contributed to the community’s resilience during the evacuation. Measures to improve evacuations and emergency management in the community and other First Nations in Canada are identified and discussed.