North Slave Region Hazard Identification Risk Assessment
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Annex B North Slave Region Hazard Identification Risk Assessment Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 North Slave Risk Matrix ................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Emerging Issues ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.3 Climate Change ............................................................................................................................. 6 2 Hazard Narratives ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 High ............................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 Fire/Explosion ....................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Transportation Accidents .................................................................................................... 11 2.1.3 Critical Infrastructure Failure – Other ................................................................................. 15 2.2 Medium ....................................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.1 Human Disease ................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Industrial Emergency .......................................................................................................... 19 2.2.3 Civil Unrest .......................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.4 Weather - Other Extreme ................................................................................................... 22 2.2.5 Weather - Winter Storm ..................................................................................................... 24 2.2.6 Critical Infrastructure Failure - Energy Crisis....................................................................... 25 2.2.7 Weather - Wind Storm ........................................................................................................ 27 2.2.8 Earth Movement - Permafrost Degradation ....................................................................... 28 2.2.9 Snow Load Hazard ............................................................................................................... 30 2.3 Low .............................................................................................................................................. 31 2.3.1 Critical Infrastructure Failure - Water Contamination ........................................................ 31 2.3.2 Earth Movement – Other .................................................................................................... 33 2.3.3 Flood ................................................................................................................................... 34 2.3.4 Ice Hazard ............................................................................................................................ 35 2.3.5 Food and Agricultural Emergency ....................................................................................... 36 2.3.6 War/ International Incident ................................................................................................ 37 2.3.7 Earth Movement - Earthquake/ Tsunami ........................................................................... 38 2.3.8 Falling Debris ....................................................................................................................... 39 3 Existing GNWT Response Capabilities ................................................................................................. 40 3.1 Emergency Response and Preparedness Organizations ............................................................. 40 3.2 Fire .............................................................................................................................................. 40 North Slave HIRA 2014 Page | B-2 3.3 Police ........................................................................................................................................... 42 3.4 Medical and Health Authorities .................................................................................................. 42 3.5 Search and Rescue ...................................................................................................................... 44 3.6 Canadian Forces .......................................................................................................................... 45 4 HIRA Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 46 North Slave HIRA 2014 Page | B-3 1 Executive Summary The 2014 North Slave Region Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (HIRA) identifies the hazards and examines the risks that pose a threat to the people, property, environment and economy of the North Slave Region. This type of assessment is a critical part of any North Slave Region emergency management program. Identified hazards can be used in preparedness programs, emergency Hazard Summary response plan exercises, and training and awareness High programs. 1. Fire/Explosion Governments have limited resources and planning for 2. Transportation Accidents every possible hazard is not a realistic approach. 3. Critical Infrastructure Failure – Other However, an informed ranking of hazards provides a cost-effective approach to hazard mitigation, Medium emergency planning and response. This assessment 4. Human Disease identified and rated twenty hazards that could affect 5. Industrial Emergency the North Slave Region, and then ranked them in order 6. Civil Unrest of emergency planning priority. Each region of the 7. Weather - Other Extreme Northwest Territories (NWT) has some unique features 8. Weather - Winter Storm that were taken into consideration in rating and 9. Critical Infrastructure Failure - Energy ranking their hazards. Crisis 10. Weather - Wind Storm The North Slave Region Hazard Summary (insert) 11. Earth Movement - Permafrost provides a list of the hazards ranked into three Degradation categories of high, medium and low. These rankings are 12. Snow Load Hazard supported by the North Slave Region risk matrix (page 6) and the information outlined in the hazard narratives in Section 2, “Hazard Narratives”. Each Low hazard narrative contains risk mitigation strategies to 13. Critical Infrastructure Failure - Water help emergency planners improve their preparedness Contamination and response plans. The rankings were determined 14. Earth Movement – Other using best practices methodology combined with 15. Flood insight from communities and local experts and 16. Ice Hazard therefore, may not be identical to risks assigned using 17. Food and Agricultural Emergency other methods or criteria. 18. War/ International Incident 19. Earth Movement - Earthquake/ According to the 2011 census, the North Slave Region Tsunami reported a population of 19,444 and a land area of 20. Falling Debris 184,903.78 square kilometres. It is the most populous of the five regions. The region comprises just under half the population of the NWT, with Yellowknife alone North Slave HIRA 2014 Page | B-4 boasting a population of 18,700. Excluding Yellowknife, the North Slave Region has 7% of the NWT population and 4% of the NWT’s personal income. The region consists of seven communities with the regional offices situated in Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife. With the exception of Yellowknife, the communities are predominately First Nations. The resiliency of this region is strengthened by the traditional economy as North Slave region has the highest participation rates in hunting and harvesting. Yellowknife is the capital and only city in the NWT . In 2006 the city had 45% of the NWT’s total population. Yellowknife accounts for about 55% of territorial income, and has the same percentage of territorial businesses. Fire/Explosion was found to be the highest ranked hazard in the North Slave Region. In a ten-year period from 2002 to 2011, there were 250 wildfires (96% human-caused) within a 10 kilometre radius of Yellowknife. Transportation accidents were also ranked high in the North Slave Region. Yellowknife is the primary supply and transportation centre for the region. The city has the NWT’s largest airport. All-weather road connections are limited north of the community of Behchokǫ̀. However, there is an extensive ice road system supplying communities and mines in the region. Yellowknife has a large business community and its financial, health and education institutions provide services to a significant area of the NWT. With this concentration of risk, Critical infrastructure Failure – Other ranked high in the North Slave and takes into account aging infrastructure issues, decaying sewer lines and road repair. North Slave HIRA 2014 Page | B-5 1.1 North Slave Risk Matrix Weather-other Fire/Explosion Critical extreme Transportation Infrastructure Weather-winter accident Likely failure-water storm contamination Critical Earth movement- Infrastructure