The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation
Few studies have examined the scope of the subjective experience during and after a natural disaster. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of persons affected by the wildfires and evacuation of Fort McMurray in 2016. The objectives were to document (1) the experience of the evacuation, an...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0604760c22694cc6a239c21b96954aaf 2023-05-15T16:17:33+02:00 The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation Laura Thériault Geneviève Belleville Marie-Christine Ouellet Charles M. Morin 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 https://doaj.org/article/0604760c22694cc6a239c21b96954aaf EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-2565 2296-2565 doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 https://doaj.org/article/0604760c22694cc6a239c21b96954aaf Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 9 (2021) natural disaster wildfire (bushfire) evacuation consequences qualitative research Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 2022-12-31T11:15:24Z Few studies have examined the scope of the subjective experience during and after a natural disaster. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of persons affected by the wildfires and evacuation of Fort McMurray in 2016. The objectives were to document (1) the experience of the evacuation, and (2) the biopsychosocial consequences of the wildfires as perceived by evacuees from Fort McMurray 3 months and 3 years after evacuation. This study included two data collections, one from 393 evacuees 3 months after evacuation using an online questionnaire, and the other from 31 participants (among those who participated in the 3-month evaluation) interviewed by telephone 3 years after evacuation. Eight themes describing the evacuation experience emerged from the qualitative analysis: the preparation for evacuation, the perceived traumatic nature of the evacuation, problems encountered while on the move, assistance received and provided, vulnerability conditions, presence of physical discomfort, relocation and no problem/no response. Seven categories of negative consequences emerged: material and financial loss, emotional/mental health disorders, cognitive impairments, behavioral changes, spiritual/existential reflections, social alterations, and physical conditions. Four categories of positive consequences emerged: posttraumatic growth, resilience/absence of consequences, altruism and community cohesion. This study showed a wide range of perceived consequences of fires and evacuations by Fort McMurray residents. The results highlight the importance of tailoring responses to the needs of evacuees and providing assistance to victims over a long period of time. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fort McMurray Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Fort McMurray Frontiers in Public Health 9 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
natural disaster wildfire (bushfire) evacuation consequences qualitative research Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
natural disaster wildfire (bushfire) evacuation consequences qualitative research Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Laura Thériault Geneviève Belleville Marie-Christine Ouellet Charles M. Morin The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
topic_facet |
natural disaster wildfire (bushfire) evacuation consequences qualitative research Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Few studies have examined the scope of the subjective experience during and after a natural disaster. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of persons affected by the wildfires and evacuation of Fort McMurray in 2016. The objectives were to document (1) the experience of the evacuation, and (2) the biopsychosocial consequences of the wildfires as perceived by evacuees from Fort McMurray 3 months and 3 years after evacuation. This study included two data collections, one from 393 evacuees 3 months after evacuation using an online questionnaire, and the other from 31 participants (among those who participated in the 3-month evaluation) interviewed by telephone 3 years after evacuation. Eight themes describing the evacuation experience emerged from the qualitative analysis: the preparation for evacuation, the perceived traumatic nature of the evacuation, problems encountered while on the move, assistance received and provided, vulnerability conditions, presence of physical discomfort, relocation and no problem/no response. Seven categories of negative consequences emerged: material and financial loss, emotional/mental health disorders, cognitive impairments, behavioral changes, spiritual/existential reflections, social alterations, and physical conditions. Four categories of positive consequences emerged: posttraumatic growth, resilience/absence of consequences, altruism and community cohesion. This study showed a wide range of perceived consequences of fires and evacuations by Fort McMurray residents. The results highlight the importance of tailoring responses to the needs of evacuees and providing assistance to victims over a long period of time. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Laura Thériault Geneviève Belleville Marie-Christine Ouellet Charles M. Morin |
author_facet |
Laura Thériault Geneviève Belleville Marie-Christine Ouellet Charles M. Morin |
author_sort |
Laura Thériault |
title |
The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
title_short |
The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
title_full |
The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
title_fullStr |
The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Experience and Perceived Consequences of the 2016 Fort McMurray Fires and Evacuation |
title_sort |
experience and perceived consequences of the 2016 fort mcmurray fires and evacuation |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 https://doaj.org/article/0604760c22694cc6a239c21b96954aaf |
geographic |
Fort McMurray |
geographic_facet |
Fort McMurray |
genre |
Fort McMurray |
genre_facet |
Fort McMurray |
op_source |
Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 9 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-2565 2296-2565 doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 https://doaj.org/article/0604760c22694cc6a239c21b96954aaf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641151 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Public Health |
container_volume |
9 |
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1766003418952892416 |