Research Blog
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When Warnings Fall Short: Communication and Tsunami Evacuation
Imagine your GPS announcing, 鈥淒anger ahead,鈥� without telling you where to turn, how far away the threat is, or whether you should stop or reroute.…
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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 thinking…