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A Disaster Resilience of Place Approach to Integrated Flood Hazard Management Planning in Squamish, British Columbia Carter, Christopher J
Abstract
The District Municipality of Squamish faces severe coastal flood risk. However, not all of the 7,477 residents living in the floodplain are created equal in the exposure to these floodwaters. In creating an Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan (IFHMP) it is critical to address both hazard and vulnerability components of risk. While the strength of floods cannot be controlled, reducing existing vulnerability and maintaining natural services that provide protection provides for long-‐term risk reduction in flood hazard management. Today, the District Municipality of Squamish retains valuable natural flood management assets -‐-‐ such as the Skwelwil’em Squamish Estuary -‐-‐ that delivers an estimated $284 million in flood disturbance regulation services to the District yearly. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable people in Squamish live adjacent to the estuary in the downtown core -‐ the most exposed area to coastal flood events and sea level rise. While the strength of flooding (Hazard) cannot be reduced, the everyday conditions of people and the environment (Vulnerability) can be addressed in local risk-‐based land use planning and community development. Reducing vulnerability has many co-‐benefits, including all hazards planning, poverty reduction, social equity, economic development, ecosystem-‐ based adaptation and integrated resource management. This is the first step to disaster risk reduction and risk-‐based planning in coastal British Columbia. Failing to address these conditions will result in unchanged or increased vulnerability and sensitivity to flood risk. Using the Disaster Resilience of Place approach, this report contains 3 major analyses and illustrates how the local government -‐-‐ in collaboration with the Squamish First Nation and citizens -‐– can effectively build a more flood resilient community and innovate in IFHMP practice. Tools to assist in quantifying vulnerability and resilience and to improve the performance of public engagement are also offered in the Appendix section of this report. Flood Management and Official Community Plans are identified as key platforms to reduce vulnerability with strong ties to local level emergency management planning and long-‐term climate adaptation to coastal flood hazard. These are the primary policy and environmental management pathways identified for implementing a DROP approach in Squamish.
Item Metadata
Title |
A Disaster Resilience of Place Approach to Integrated Flood Hazard Management Planning in Squamish, British Columbia
|
Alternate Title |
Mobilizing Resilience : A Disaster Resilience of Place Approach to IFHMP in Squamish British Columbia
|
Creator | |
Date Issued |
2015-09
|
Description |
The
District
Municipality
of
Squamish
faces
severe
coastal
flood
risk.
However,
not
all
of
the
7,477
residents
living
in
the
floodplain
are
created
equal
in
the
exposure
to
these
floodwaters.
In
creating
an
Integrated
Flood
Hazard
Management
Plan
(IFHMP)
it
is
critical
to
address
both
hazard
and
vulnerability
components
of
risk.
While
the
strength
of
floods
cannot
be
controlled,
reducing
existing
vulnerability
and
maintaining
natural
services
that
provide
protection
provides
for
long-‐term
risk
reduction
in
flood
hazard
management.
Today,
the
District
Municipality
of
Squamish
retains
valuable
natural
flood
management
assets
-‐-‐
such
as
the
Skwelwil’em
Squamish
Estuary
-‐-‐
that
delivers
an
estimated
$284
million
in
flood
disturbance
regulation
services
to
the
District
yearly.
Meanwhile,
the
most
vulnerable
people
in
Squamish
live
adjacent
to
the
estuary
in
the
downtown
core
-‐
the
most
exposed
area
to
coastal
flood
events
and
sea
level
rise.
While
the
strength
of
flooding
(Hazard)
cannot
be
reduced,
the
everyday
conditions
of
people
and
the
environment
(Vulnerability)
can
be
addressed
in
local
risk-‐based
land
use
planning
and
community
development.
Reducing
vulnerability
has
many
co-‐benefits,
including
all
hazards
planning,
poverty
reduction,
social
equity,
economic
development,
ecosystem-‐
based
adaptation
and
integrated
resource
management.
This
is
the
first
step
to
disaster
risk
reduction
and
risk-‐based
planning
in
coastal
British
Columbia.
Failing
to
address
these
conditions
will
result
in
unchanged
or
increased
vulnerability
and
sensitivity
to
flood
risk.
Using
the
Disaster
Resilience
of
Place
approach,
this
report
contains
3
major
analyses
and
illustrates
how
the
local
government
-‐-‐
in
collaboration
with
the
Squamish
First
Nation
and
citizens
-‐–
can
effectively
build
a
more
flood
resilient
community
and
innovate
in
IFHMP
practice.
Tools
to
assist
in
quantifying
vulnerability
and
resilience
and
to
improve
the
performance
of
public
engagement
are
also
offered
in
the
Appendix
section
of
this
report.
Flood
Management
and
Official
Community
Plans
are
identified
as
key
platforms
to
reduce
vulnerability
with
strong
ties
to
local
level
emergency
management
planning
and
long-‐term
climate
adaptation
to
coastal
flood
hazard.
These
are
the
primary
policy
and
environmental
management
pathways
identified
for
implementing
a
DROP
approach
in
Squamish.
|
Geographic Location | |
Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
|
Series | |
Date Available |
2017-01-31
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0305851
|
URI | |
Affiliation | |
Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
|
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International