Natural hazards and First Nations community setting: challenges for adaptation

摘要

Natural hazards are a common occurrence on the semi-arid prairies, both in terms of extreme dryness (droughts), and extreme moisture (floods). Although when such events occur, they generate devastating impacts on the economic and social system of any community, when that community happens to be a First Nations community, these challenges are further compounded by the regulations that govern these communities. The community selected for this investigation was the Kainai Blood Indian Reserve, Alberta, Canada. The impacts of past extreme weather events (droughts and floods) were serious for the people of the Reserve, although floods likely had the most immediate impacts on the residents. The response capabilities of emergency services were stressed, infrastructure, such as roads, was damaged and the potable water sources were compromised. The droughts appeared to have less direct impact on the residents of the Reserve because their water supply is from communal groundwater sources. Adaptations to the extreme events were seriously handicapped by regulations that create economic limitations faced by the Kainai Nation residents. These include: limited money transfers by the Federal government to the Nation, absence of property rights, lack of local economic opportunities, high unemployment rates, and relatively lower human capital (level of education and skills). Moreover, future adaptation measures will continue to be challenging unless government policies are changed to meet the requirements of KBIR and similar First Nations communities.