Author: Jack L. Rozdilsky, Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management, York University, Canada

The day after the Delta Flight 4819 crash on Feb. 17 at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the damaged aircraft remained on the runway as the crash investigation ramped up. Whether it was due to luck, skill, heroism or aircraft design, the evacuation of passengers took place quickly and everyone aboard the ill-fated flight were able to exit the plane and make it on to the tarmac. Post-accident investigations will provide more details about what contributed to the accident, and the strengths and weaknesses of the emergency response. But one point is already obvious: the positive outcome speaks to the importance…

The wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area are creating emergency situations that are shaping up to be a once-in-a-generation event. And in the midst of multiple active fires with evacuation orders for specific neighbourhoods, a general emergency alert to evacuate was sent out in error. The false alert went out on Jan. 9 to the cell phones of 10 million residents across Los Angeles County. In complex systems, failure is a particular combination of needs, people and problems that may have never occurred before. False emergency alerts sent out in error should be viewed as complex system failures that…

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29, three months after turning 100. Carter was elected 39th president in 1976, and served one term in office from 1977 to 1981. Hope does not end: Jimmy Carter’s death at 100, his hospice care choice, and what Canada’s health system can learn from it Upon Carter’s death, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas commented that Carter re-imagined how we care for communities in need as his administration laid the foundation for disaster response today. As a professor of disaster and emergency management, I respect Carter’s significant contributions to emergency management…

On July 24, 2024, one-third of the structures in Jasper, Alta. were destroyed when the Jasper Complex Wildfire burnt an estimated 32,722 hectares. As a researcher of disaster and emergency management, I visited Jasper in October to observe disaster recovery efforts there. The Municipality of Jasper and its federal partners are actively managing the recovery. The municipality has submitted an application for $73.14 million in expenditures for reimbursement from Alberta’s provincial Disaster Recovery Program. For those outside of the disaster zone, the message is that Jasper still exists and it is open for business. In the meantime, visitors need to…