Quick Response Research has long allowed social, behavioural and economic science researchers to collect and integrate valuable first-response data in time-sensitive environments. This type of research is conducted during or shortly after an extreme event and allows social science researchers to collect perishable data that wouldn’t be accessible otherwise. While quick response research has been […]

The risks of natural hazards in Canada are increasing, and studies have shown many disaster risk reduction projects have benefits greater than their costs. However, municipal climate adaptation projects face limited resources that support implementation. This Project will research and write two books of case studies about successful municipal climate adaptation projects in Canada, extending […]

Risk to residential and commercial properties due to wildfire in areas of increased human habitation is an important but relatively unstudied phenomenon. Insurers are likely exposed to an increasing risk in the face of climate change and increased population in forested areas. The internship’s aim is to study this problem and to provide an estimate […]

In Canada, motorists are faced with a wide range of environmental conditions. Weather, in the form of rain, snow, other frozen precipitation, fog or strong winds, occurs 10 to 20 percent of the time, depending on the location and year. This project, which involves a three-way partnership between State Farm Insurance, the Institute for Catastrophic […]

This research is aimed at better characterizing the exposure associated with three particular natural hazards – earthquake, flood and wind. The work represents an unprecedented collaboration between three leaders in the field of natural hazards at Western University and the insurance industry through the efforts of individual interns and the associated projects aimed at evaluating […]

Resilience is toughness, or the ability to function and bounce back after a traumatic event. In this Mitacs research project, the focus is on housing, and resilience results from features that protect Canadian lives and property from natural disasters. One of the ways that governments ensure the safety of Canadians is through The Canada Model […]

Tornadoes are the most disastrous, violent and lethal wind events in the world. In the United States, more than 4,000 fatalities and US$20 trillion in damages were reported between 1950-1994. Recently on September 21st 2018, an outbreak of six tornadoes devastated the Ottawa-Gatineau area in Canada causing damages that might approach US$100 million. Due to […]