LIFE ON THE EDGE: RISK MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING FOR RESILIENCE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 20158:00AM-9:30AM
MODERATOR:Deborah Carlson, Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law
SPEAKERS:Fiona Dercole, Section Manager, Public Safety, District of North Vancouver
Tamsin Lyle, Principal, Ebbwater ConsultingSarah Primeau, Landscape Architect/Landscape Ecologist, space2place design inc.
Life on the Edge:Risk Management and Planning for ResilienceBUILDEX Vancouver, Feb. 25th 2015Tamsin Lyle, P.Eng | Principal | Ebbwater Consulting
Floods Matter
Natural Disaster Occurrences in Canada 1900-2012 (Canadian Disaster Database)
Floods Matter
Loss Estimate for Catastrophic Flooding in BC(ICLR and SwissRE 2010)
$7-$10 Bn
Flood Disaster Occurrences in Canada 1900-2012 (Canadian Disaster Database)
In the US a 45% increase in spatial extent of the 100-Year floodplains is projected by the year 2100 (NFIP 2014).
Sea Level Rise:Floodplains Expand
Our Changing HazardA moving target with multiple dimensions
A Regional Perspective
Calculated using GeoBaseCanada TRIM datasets © Ebbwater
Flood Impacts are Great
Economy:“Canada's GDP will be reduced by $2 billion as a direct result of the [Calgary] floods.” June 2013
Infrastructure: $6.1 Bn in direct losses from 2013 Southern
Alberta FloodsPeople:“15,000 Evacuated after Floods
in Dominican Republic” February 23 2015
Environment:“Hurricane Katrina leaves
legacy of industrial waste, raw sewage and oil spills” August
2005
Case Study: City of VancouverShelter Needs
HazusCanada results for existing development conditions, and 1 m SLR with 500-Year storm
Case Study: City of VancouverBuilding and Content Loss Distribution
HazusCanada results for existing development conditions, and 1 m SLR with 500-Year storm
Case Study: City of VancouverBuilding Level Impacts
Case Study: Lower MainlandTransportation Networks
Red River at Morris, 2011© Ebbwater
Making a Plan to Reduce Impacts
Flood Risk
Planning
Identify
AssessManage
Make Good DecisionsFocus on what matters
Values(economic, social,
environmental)
Reduce Hazard“Block the Water”
Reduce Exposure“Stop things you care about
getting wet”
Reduce Sensitivity“Reduce impact of getting
wet”
High Level OptionsThe Basics
Engineering Reduce the Hazard (Protect)
Armouring: Holding the Line(Clockwise: Ring Dike, Sea Barrier, Seawall, Superdike, Traditional dike)
Moderation: Slow the Erosion(Clockwise: Groins & Breakwaters, Rip-rap, Dune Construction, Mixed/natural erosion control)
Restoration: Replace what is destroyed (Land reclamation, beach nourishment, constructed wetlands)
Building ControlsReduce Exposure or Sensitivity (Adapt)
Permanent ResistanceElevation Temporary Resistance Resilience
Dry Floodproofing Wet Floodproofing
Things to Strive For• Plan for risk not hazard
• Consequences matter, people matter, the environment matters
• Embrace uncertainty• Strive for adaptive solutions that will work under many
climate and development futures• Avoid solutions that are single-minded or that remove
future options • Enable resilience
• Focus on recovery• Focus on the opportunities
An argument to act now
Good Things in the RegionYes, It’s tough to be first…but it can also be really fun.
Image sources: West Coast Environmental Law
Life on the Edge:Risk Management and Planning for ResilienceBUILDEX Vancouver, Feb. 25th 2015Tamsin Lyle| [email protected] | @ebbwater
