Hazards Tracked by Resilient-C

There are currently five hazards tracked by the Resilient-C to determine hazards exposure for communities on the platform: coastal flooding, riverine flooding, earthquake, tsunami, and contaminant spill.

Coastal Flooding

Flooding results from an overflow of water from a major waterbody, such as a lake, river, or ocean, beyond its traditional boundaries. In the case of coastal flooding, the overflowing waters are coming from a coastal source, such as the ocean or an associated bay, inlet, bay, or harbour.

In Resilient-C, coastal flooding represents a collection of coastal hazards related to water inundation from coastal sources along a community's coast. This can include the effects of sea level rise, storm surge, and coastal erosion.

Riverine Flooding

Flooding results from an overflow of water from a major waterbody, such as a lake, river, or ocean, beyond its traditional boundaries. In the case of riverine flooding, the overflowing waters are coming from streams, creeks, and rivers that exceed their normal banks and the excess water runs or pools over adjacent land areas. Pluvial floods are the result of extreme rainfall that creates a flood conditions as water accumulates in large amounts and flows across land or as flash floods along traditional water ways.

In Resilient-C, riverine flooding address the risk associated with both riverine and pluvial flooding events, where overland flooding occurs along rivers, creeks, and streams and riverbank erosion.

Earthquake

Earthquakes are the result of seismic waves passing through or along the Earth's surface and manifests as shaking or displacement of the ground. Such shaking along the seafloor can sometimes result in a tsunami. Most of the world's earthquakes take place along a 40,000 km long horseshoe-shaped zone around the Pacific Ocean, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. In Canada, BC is at the highest risk of earthquakes, but earthquakes can also occur in vulnerable areas around the country, including Quebec and New Brunswick.

In Resilient-C, earthquake planning addresses the impacts associated with ground shaking and displacement resulting from seismic activity, including structural and environmental damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Tsunami

Tsunamis are a series of waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally due to earthquake shaking or underwater landslides along coastal areas. Damage occurs as these waves rapidly inundate low-laying areas along community coastal areas, carrying debris. Tsunamis represent a direct threat to life safety for any in their path and can cause significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.

In Resilient-C, tsunamis planning addresses the impacts associated with local, regional and large tele-tsunamis regardless of the source of the tsunami, including seismic and non-seismic sources.

Contaminant Spill

Contaminant spills are the unplanned and unwanted discharge of chemicals, oils, fuels, or sewage on land or into nearby water bodies. The impacts of these spills varies significantly by the type of substance discharged and the amount of discharge that occurs, but can impact local wildlife and potentially impact human health and wellbeing around affected areas.

In Resilient-C, contaminant spill planning addresses the risk associated with fuel, oil, or chemical spills into coastal and/or riverine water bodies.