Avalanche Hazard and Occurrence in Canada
In Canada, snow avalanches are a major hazard. They can reach speeds over 200 kilometers per hour, run out hundreds of meters into valleys, and destroy forests and buildings. Each year, avalanches cause about 11 deaths and cost over CAD $5 million.
Avalanches have caused over 900 deaths in Canada since 1782. Many of these happened at workplaces. Avalanches are a risk in most parts of Canada, especially in British Columbia, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They are the top land-based natural hazard killer. In Quebec, they are the second leading cause.
Figure 1: Fatal avalanche accidents from 1782 to 2007 and avalanche activity zones in Canada. Symbol size represents the number of fatalities for each accident (from Campbell et al., 2007).
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