Unnatural Disasters

The document examines the 2013 flood in Siksika Nation as a case study of how colonial land dispossession and the Indian Act create disproportionate climate risks for Indigenous communities. It details a five-phase displacement process where evacuees faced substandard temporary housing and long-term trauma. The report highlights the Dancing Deer Disaster Recovery Centre as a model of self-determination, providing culturally safe, community-led health and social services to aid recovery.

• Indigenous communities in Canada face significantly higher disaster risks than non-Indigenous populations, with First Nation communities being 18 times more likely to be evacuated due to disasters and experiencing fire-related death rates more than 10 times higher.
• The 'natural disaster' framing is challenged as it ignores how colonial land dispossession and the Indian Act forced Indigenous peoples into marginalized, high-risk areas and stripped their ability to self-govern land use, creating 'unnatural' vulnerabilities to flooding and fire.
• The 2013 flood in Siksika Nation displaced over 1,000 people and damaged 171 homes, leading to a protracted five-phase displacement process where some evacuees remained without permanent homes six and a half years later.
• Temporary housing during the Siksika recovery, specifically ATCO trailers and New Temporary Neighbourhoods (NTNs), was often substandard, lacked accessibility for people with disabilities, and was described by some residents as feeling like a 'prison' or 'residential school all over again'.
• Post-disaster recovery in Siksika Nation introduced new risks and traumas, including the relocation of communities onto potentially contaminated former farmland and the rebuilding of housing around a high-speed highway that has resulted in multiple deaths.
• The Dancing Deer Disaster Recovery Centre (DDDRC) serves as a model for Indigenous self-determination by providing centralized, culturally safe, and community-led services that address the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs of evacuees within their temporary housing.
• Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and magnitude of flooding in Alberta, which will further disrupt access to traditional medicines and seasonal foods for the Siksika people due to soil and water contamination.

APA

Woman-Munro, D. Y. O., Dicken, E., & Yumagulova, L. (2021). Unnatural Disasters. Canadian Climate Institute. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/unnatural-disasters/

Chicago

Woman-Munro, Darlene Yellow Old, Emily Dicken, and Lilia Yumagulova. Unnatural Disasters. Canadian Climate Institute, 2021. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/unnatural-disasters/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Woman-Munro |first1=Darlene Yellow Old |last2=Dicken |first2=Emily |last3=Yumagulova |first3=Lilia |title=Unnatural Disasters |publisher=Canadian Climate Institute |date=21 June 2021 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/unnatural-disasters/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{womanmunro2021unnatural, author = {Woman-Munro, Darlene Yellow Old and Dicken, Emily and Yumagulova, Lilia}, title = {{Unnatural Disasters}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/unnatural-disasters/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }