The City of Camrose and a class of third-year students from Augustana teamed up to help Camrose prepare for climate change vulnerability. With extreme weather scenarios becoming more common in Camrose, the students developed resources and recommendations to help residents, businesses, and the City prepare for and respond to these events.
Preparing For Mother Nature: A Series of How-To Guides | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preparing for Mother Nature: A Series of How-To Guides
Included in this guide:
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Preparing for Tornados | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the event of a tornado, use this map to find a good shelter near you. Note: Do not avoid possible shelters because they're not on the map! Shelter Guidelines 60 second rule: Your shelter should not take more than 1 minute to reach. If you are outside, try to find an indoor shelter within this timeframe. Otherwise, take shelter outdoors. If you are inside, try to stay where you are. If you have major concerns about the safety of your indoor shelter, moving to another shelter should take under 60 seconds. Otherwise, take shelter outdoors. Stay in Place. Tornados are chaotic, they do not have a set path that can be predicted and avoided. There is no reliable way to avoid a tornado, and moving around only increases to chances of being caught in the tornado.
Building an emergency kit? The Government of Canada has a helpful checklist to help you. |
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Naturalization | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our mission is to turn city areas into beautiful, usable green spaces where nature and city life blend smoothly. We are aiming to bring more nature into our cities by planting native plants and creating green areas right where we live and work. By adding more green to our urban areas, we can make our communities healthier, more vibrant, and better places to live for current and future generations. We want to make our city better by planting thoughtfully and taking care of these green spaces, thinking about the good they will do for a long time. Our plan is all about making our environment better, keeping people healthy and happy, and providing benefits for businesses and the whole community. By making our cities greener, we help our environment by inviting birds, bees, and other helpful creatures. Plus, it’s a smart choice because it saves money, uses less water during dry times, and holds onto water better when it rains. Working together with the University of Alberta Augustana Campus students, we're excited to start this important work. But it’s not just about making things look nice. It’s about building a city ecosystem that works well with nature. We are a city that prides ourselves based on our greenery, and native species. We want to show you how to make your home, business and neighborhood greener and how it can improve our cities and encourage everyone to support native plants and wildlife. Join us as we work to fill our cities with green, creating lasting, beautiful spaces that are good for people, businesses, and nature. Let's make our cities vibrant and sustainable for all of us, today and in the future.
Benefits
Common Misconceptions of Naturalization
A Home-Owners Guide to Naturalization Whether you own a home, rent your space, or manage properties, this guide is your easy, step-by-step companion to embrace naturalization. We will provide tips and tricks to build your outdoor spaces, so it not only looks good, but feels good. Let's transform our greenspaces together, making them beautiful and beneficial for the planet.
A Renters Guide to Naturalization As a renter it can be difficult to make any significant changes to your living space due to a lack of final authority over the property. Start the discussion with your landowner to see if planting around your property is okay!
Greening your Community Supporting the greening of local parks and other outdoor spaces can make a big change! Small changes such as planting more trees, shrubs, and clovers can transform fields into a much more diverse, lush, and stunning landscapes.
Research Projects
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Tree Dictionary |
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When identifying which trees to plant, the tree dictionary considers the temperature changes that are expected to occur in Camrose over the next few decades.
Find the complete tree dictionary here. |
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Wildfire Smoke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, Camrose has experienced various periods of poor air quality due to an increase in pollutant matter resulting from wildfire smoke. Based on the historical data recorded by The World Air Quality Index Project, records of the average daily air quality in the City of Camrose suggest that there is a dramatic increase in the days where Camrose experienced poor air quality comparing the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2023. In 2021, from May 1 to September 31, there were approximately 29 days which recorded a poor to unhealthy air quality while 5 days were categorized as unhealthy to hazardous. In 2023, from May 1 to September 31, there were approximately 79 days of poor to unhealthy air quality (172% increase), and 18 days were unhealthy to hazardous (a 260% increase).
Posters about wildfire smoke Protecting Workers from Wildfire Smoke Wildfire Smoke Composition and Health Risks The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) Note: feel free to print these posters to put up and share information about wildfire smoke |
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Articles About Drought | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Are you interested in learning more about drought, Camrose's drought policies, how to conserve water, and what to do in a water emergency? Read more here. |
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Hosting Events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whether you're hosting small gatherings or large-scale events, preparing for various climate conditions is essential. Air quality, heat, and wind are all factors that are outside your control as an event organizer. However, you should plan ways to mitigate the negative effects from these environmental factors on your event and/or understand the thresholds where the event will need to be cancelled or postponed. Read more here. |
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Wildfire Pre-Incident Response Plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This plan was developed with the City of Camrose as the target audience to better understand and prepare for wildfire risk, mitigation, and response in Camrose. Read more here. |
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Drought Policy Analysis and Recommendations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
These policy recommendations and analysis was developed with the City of Camrose as the target audience. The framework aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various policies and incorporate the most relevant elements into the drought policy recommendations and action plan. In doing so, these recommendations will contribute to a resilient and adaptive strategy for the City of Camrose. Read more here. |
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Camrose Climate Outreach Information Network (C-COIN) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The index and roadmap are intended for the City of Camrose to utilize when disseminating climate change risk information that serve vulnerable populations especially regarding extreme weather events in Camrose. The index is a compilation of human service organizations in the Camrose area and applicable contact information for each organization. The index is organized into six "working groups" representing the most prominent vulnerable populations in the Camrose area: seniors, unhoused and transient populations, underemployed persons, unemployed persons, individuals with disabilities and other health/mental health conditions, and at-risk youth and women with intersectional vulnerabilities. The infographic roadmap of the communication framework complements the C-COIN index and should be used in conjunction with the index. |
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