Research Blog
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Before the Wave: Gaps in Tsunami Preparedness
In my previous blog post, I explored how disaster risk reduction strategies such as early warning systems, tsunami awareness, and education and outreach activities have…
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Before the Wave Arrives: Disaster Risk Reduction and Tsunami Events
During the summer of 2023, I spent my school break as a Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Facility SPC Intern at the University of the West Indies鈥…
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Hurry Up and Wait: Forest Fires and Disaster Prevention
The year I started working as an Assistant Fire Management Clerk, I was a shy 19-year-old, timidly running radio communications for the Thunder Bay District鈥檚…
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Classroom Connections: Linking Contemporary Youth with Historical Students鈥 Transnational Experiences of Disasters
On December 17th and 18th 2024, two groups of grade 10 Geography students from Colonel By High School journeyed to 杏吧原创 University to tour the…
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The Ethics of Disaster Research
As earlier posts have noted, the seeds for the Disaster Lab research project were planted before the Covid-19 pandemic. They emerged out of an observation,…
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鈥淗istory Doesn鈥檛 Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes.鈥
I was knee-deep in my continuous research on the history of disasters when the above quote by American writer Mark Twain came to mind. Coincidentally,…
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Hurricane Hazel鈥檚 Best Dressed: Reading between the headlines in the Toronto 鈥淓vening Telegram鈥
On October 16, 1954, buried between the pages of the Toronto Evening Telegram, reads a seemingly out of place headline, 鈥淏eautiful Gowns Worn to Ball…
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Gone to the Dogs: Disasters and the Pet Perspective
Pet-owning families will know the important role that animal companions play in the household. From dinner table companions anxiously awaiting fallen scraps, to bedside (or…
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A Hurricane is Not Just a Hurricane
The impact of Hurricane Hazel can be approached from a spatial historical perspective. Spatial history focuses on the relationship between humans and place over time.…
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Thoughts, Prayers, and Typhoons: Catholicism in the Midst of a Disaster
鈥淭o God Be the Glory.鈥 It says at the end credits of a Filipino telenovela playing on tv at a family friend鈥檚 living room. Growing…
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What is a Disaster?
At a recent Disaster Lab meeting, the question of 鈥渨hat is a disaster?鈥 came up. We realized that despite researching how other people were…
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Summer (and Wildfire Season) Are Not Yet Over
As September ushers in feelings of a new school year, the once casual “how was your summer?” exchange has taken on a sombre tone. Informally…