Running Head: SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 Southeast Saskatchewan Flooding in 2014: Rural Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction by JASMIN CARLTON A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN DISASTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Royal Roads University Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Supervisor: Dr. Etsuko Yasui February 2021 JASMIN CARLTON, 2021 SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 2 Committee Approval The members of Jasmin Carlton’s Thesis Committee certify that they have read the thesis titled Southeast Saskatchewan Flooding in 2014: Rural Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management: Dr. Jean Slick [signature on file] Final approval and acceptance of this thesis is contingent upon submission of the final copy of the thesis to Royal Roads University. The thesis supervisor confirms to have read this thesis and recommends that it be accepted as fulfilling the thesis requirements: Dr. Etsuko Yasui [signature on file] SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 3 Creative Commons Statement This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial- ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/c/. Some material in this work is not being made available under the terms of this license: ° Third-Party material used under fair dealing or with permission ° Any photographs where individuals are easily identifiable. SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 4 Abstract This qualitative study focused on rural Saskatchewan residents directly and indirectly impacted by a flooding event that occurred in the summer of 2014 in their region. This study used interview data to investigate how residents’ understanding of the risk of future disaster events in the area and actions to prepare for future events were influenced by the flooding event in the region in 2014. Using semi-structured interviews, the research focused on how residents’ perception of risk changed after the 2014 flooding event, what actions they took to prepare for future events, and what factors contributed to these activities. The two main themes were rural resilience and disaster risk reduction actions. Rural resilience was evidenced through volunteerism, connections and networks, and resource knowledge. Disaster risk reduction actions were influenced by sentimentality and apathy. Keywords: disaster, resilience, vulnerability, rural, sentimentality, apathy, capacity, community, volunteerism, Saskatchewan SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 5 Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables .......................................................................................................................8 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................9 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................10 Chapter 1 – Introduction ...................................................................................................11 2014 Flooding Event ..............................................................................................12 Problem Statement ............................................................................................... 15 Rationale for Research Approach ..........................................................................16 Research Questions ................................................................................................17 Study Outline .........................................................................................................17 Chapter 2 – Literature Review ..........................................................................................19 Rural Communities ................................................................................................19 Saskatchewan .........................................................................................................22 Disaster Risk Reduction .........................................................................................23 Individual preparedness .............................................................................25 Intangible Considerations ..........................................................................27 Social Vulnerability ...............................................................................................27 Resilience for Disaster Risk Reduction .................................................................29 Conclusion .............................................................................................................30 Chapter 3 – Research Methodology ...................................................................................31 Methodological Framework ...................................................................................31 Data Collection Tools & Types of Data ................................................................32 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................34 Study Limitations ...................................................................................................35 Validity & Reliability ............................................................................................36 Researcher Background ........................................................................................38 SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 6 Chapter 4 - Findings...........................................................................................................40 Participant Profiles .................................................................................................40 Changing Perceptions ............................................................................................43 Mitigation and Preparedness Strategies & Activities ............................................46 Safeguarding homes and families ..............................................................46 Safeguarding irreplaceable possessions .....................................................48 Community response .................................................................................49 Contributing Factors ..............................................................................................54 Participation in the event ...........................................................................55 Long-term aspects ......................................................................................55 Social factors ..............................................................................................56 Themes from the Findings .....................................................................................58 Summary ................................................................................................................61 Chapter 5 – Discussion ......................................................................................................63 Rural Resilience .....................................................................................................63 Level of volunteerism ................................................................................64 Connections and networks .........................................................................66 Resource knowledge ..................................................................................66 Disaster Risk Reduction .........................................................................................67 Sentimentality ............................................................................................68 Apathy .......................................................................................................70 Conclusion .............................................................................................................72 Chapter 6 – Recommendations and Conclusion ................................................................75 Recommendations ..................................................................................................75 Town of Carnduff ......................................................................................75 Emergency Management Organization ......................................................76 Citizens ......................................................................................................78 Future Research .........................................................................................78 SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN FLOODING IN 2014 7 Limitations .............................................................................................................79 Conclusion .............................................................................................................80 References ..........................................................................................................................82 Appendices .........................................................................................................................91 SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN