If you live in a community in the mountains like Valemount, McBride or Dunster, you are more than aware that rockfalls, landslides, mudslides and floods are facts of life, and as climate change is making those events more common, a new UNBC research project is looking at how mountain communities can better prepare for these events. “We’re looking to sort of get information into the hands of community leaders. We really want to talk to people in the community and get an understanding of what they see as risks and vulnerabilities or events that they have identified. And this is in an area where there hasn’t been a lot of attention. We really wanted to sort of fill that gap and be able to to work with the local communities and help them develop adaptation plans to what these hazards might look like in the future.” – Dr. Joseph Shea, Associate Professor of Environmental Geomatics, UNBC. The project will compile a geohazard database for the region and build a rapid response tool that can quickly collect and display data and imagery during or after a geohazard event.
