Abstracts
Toward a Reduction in Municipalities' Vulnerability to Extreme Atmospheric Phenomena
Jennifer Milton1,Khanh-Hung Lam, Sonia Trentin, and Noémie Jean-Grégoire
1Environment Canada
jennifer.milton@ec.gc.ca
Quebec's Loi sur la sécurité civile divides responsibilities with regard to the risks and dangers of natural disasters among citizens, companies, municipalities and the government. To enable municipalities to identify their vulnerabilities and to meet the law's objectives, the Meteorological Service of Canada, Quebec area, was given the mandate to develop climatic and atmospheric information relevant to these objectives.
The presentation will consist of a demonstration of the information and results of the project. Using CRIACC's Web portal (http://www.criacc.qc.ca), normal climate conditions and extreme climate phenomenon indicators such as oppressive heat, heavy rain and snowfall, as well as heavy wind, will be presented for more than 100 Quebec municipalities. Time series of extreme climate events, including the ice storm of January 1998, the Saguenay floodwaters and rain-gauge statistics, will also be described.
The site aims to be a reference source for other issues related to the question of vulnerability, such as air quality in urban areas and climate change. Finally, to help with short-term management and longer-term planning for potentially threatening situations, the portal gives users the opportunity to visualize past, present and future meteorological conditions in Quebec.
2005-04-05 |
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