EMCR Collaboration (2023-2025)

Principle Investigator: Dr. Trevor Carey, Assistant Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, UBC-V

Research location: Western BC

Hazard(s): Earthquakes

Intended contributions: This research project will study and develop design tools to mitigate the impacts of a large-magnitude earthquakes caused by the Cascadia subduction zone on infrastructure systems constructed on, supported by, or penetrating through soil. By updating current liquefaction procedures and design tools, this work will increase preparedness for a Cascadia earthquake throughout western British Columbia, which will reduce loss of life, lessen economic impacts, and promote more rapid post-event recovery.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Steven Weijs, Associate Professor of Hydrotechnical Engineering, UBC-V

Research location: Province-wide

Hazard(s): Riverine flooding

Intended contributions: In this research, we will investigate the potential of state-of-the-art machine learning approaches to probabilistically estimate stream flows for ungauged sites in BC at various time scales, supporting flood risk estimates in a wider set of locations than would otherwise be feasible with a limited budget. We will also investigate ways in which local knowledge and observations can be incorporated into these estimates.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Dwayne Tannant, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, UBC-O

Research location: Upper Columbia River

Hazard(s): Landslides

Intended contributions: This research project aims to complete a comprehensive risk assessment of landslides in the upper Columbia River valley, focusing on assessing the potential for rapid slope movements in metamorphic rock types, including an assessment of the effects of climate change and seismicity on these landslides.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Dwayne Tannant, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, UBC-O

Research location: First Nations and rural communities in interior BC

Hazard(s): Debris flows

Intended contributions: Debris flows are common geohazards in BC that disproportionately affect First Nations and rural communities. Our research suggests that debris flow impacts can be mitigated using inexpensive and easily constructed deflection berms and ditches. However, no proper design methodology exists for these structures, and their effectiveness is unknown. The goal of this project is to develop a methodology to design these structures and test their effectiveness for future extreme rainfall events in BC.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Amy Kim, Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering, UBC-V

Research location: Province-wide

Hazard(s): Multi-hazard (fire, landslide, flooding)

Intended contributions: In this project, we aim to measure the highway network’s ability to provide connectivity for communities across BC, through disruptive events occurring over a 6-year period (2017-2022). We will combine several data sources towards developing metrics of community connectivity and/or access to major hubs and urban centres, across multiple major climate events, including fire, landslide, and flooding/washout. The results will be assessed to reveal which communities, and which network locations, are impacted by these multiple and sometimes compounding climate events. We expect results to highlight inequities in transportation access across the province that may be exacerbated by climate change impacts.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Carlos Molina Hutt, Assistant Professor of Structural & Earthquake Engineering, UBC-V

Research location: Southwest BC

Hazard(s): Earthquakes

Intended contributions: This study aims to quantify the seismic resilience of the network of interdependent hospital and road-based transportation infrastructure. This project aims to answer the following questions, among others: Which hospital campuses will be available to provide acute care after a major earthquake? Also, which communities within the region will have access to acute care? What will the redirection needs be? What is the estimated damage to hospital infrastructure in a range of earthquake scenarios with low, medium and high shaking intensities? Which roads and bridges will be accessible for use after those same earthquake scenarios? How can these results inform retrofit prioritization or contingency planning to improve regional seismic resilience?

Principle Investigator: Dr. Stephanie Chang, Professor of Community and Regional Planning, UBC-V

Research location: Coastal BC municipalities

Hazard(s): Coastal flooding

Intended contributions: This project aims to produce a systematic database of BC local government actions to address coastal flooding as of 2023, along with a summary report. The database will draw on information available in the Resilient-C database that my team has already developed from publicly available planning documents (Chang et al. 2015), supplemented by additional types of sources (e.g., hazard maps, emergency response plans, emergency manager interviews). Coastal First Nations communities will be included to the extent that publicly accessible information is available; however, it is recognized that different protocols and approaches than what is proposed here may be more appropriate for supporting Indigenous communities.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Kees Lokman, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture, UBC-V

Research location: Lower Fraser River

Hazard(s): Riverine flooding

Intended contributions: The November 2021 atmospheric river events revealed the extremely vulnerable situation of the Lower Fraser in the context of floodplain management, with much of the flood control infrastructure in the Lower Mainland aging and outdated. At the same time, there are diverging perspectives on how to build back, and which mitigation and adaptation options to pursue. This raises questions about who and what has caused these floods to happen in the first place? Whose voices are included, and at what point in the process? Who determines which adaptation strategies are ‘good’ and should be pursued? And, who benefits and loses from proposed mitigation and adaptation strategies?

Principle Investigator: Dr. Natasha Fox, Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Oregon State University

Research location: Coastal BC

Hazard(s): Earthquake; tsunami

Intended contributions: With each passing day, coastal BC faces the growing threat of a major earthquake and tsunami along the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), a seismic hotspot capable of producing the world’s largest earthquakes. Despite being a leader in inclusive and equitable social policies, knowledge on BC’s LGBTQ2S+ disaster risk is minimal. This project will build on Canada’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive and equitable society by assessing EDI values and principals in local disaster planning agendas.

Principle Investigator: Dr. David Edgington, Professor Emeritus of Geography, UBC-V

Research location: Coastal BC; international

Hazard(s): Earthquake; tsunami

Intended contributions: This project will bring together research that highlights key damage impacts from a Magnitude 9 CSZ seismic event, along with response and recovery implications based on experiences from Japan and Chile that should be included (but are currently not) in risk assessments or scenarios in BC. In addition, the project will study actions that are being taken by coastal communities and state/provincial and national governments to address the risk of an M9 earthquake and tsunami in western Canada and the northwest of the USA.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Sara Shneiderman, Associate Professor of Anthropology, UBC-V

Research location: Selected urban and rural field sites in BC

Hazard(s): Multi-hazard 

Intended contributions: With the objective of understanding how differently situated communities and citizens understand and mobilize currently available resources for building resilience, and envision their most effective future integration, I propose an ethnographic study of BC’s existing disaster governance from a multi-hazard perspective. Conducted in selected urban and rural field sites, including First Nations jurisdictions, this initiative will generate an empirical understanding of how both government actors at various levels (municipal, provincial, federal) and community members/citizens understand and experience existing structures and policies, with the objective of generating recommendations for better integration in the future.