Tara K Mcgee
Biographic Data
| ID | 2127057 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tara K Mcgee |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tara K |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcgee |
| SIGNATURE | MCGEE T K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Alberta |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2234-8879 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 62 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 32 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Host community logistics and advanced preparation
This paper examines the experiences of three host communities in Alberta involved in supporting and accommodating evacuees during the record 2023 wildfire season in Canada. Exploring host community service provision is a small but important part of a growing body of research that attempts to understand challenges faced by hosts when evacuations take place. Wildfire displacements can have long-lasting and deep social impacts, and the ability of ho…
“It’s not the beds, it’s the people”
Factors influencing women’s participation in disaster recovery after the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan
Wildfire preparedness and response during the 2016 Arouca wildfires in rural Portugal
Routledge Handbook of Environmental Hazards and Society
The processes that produce volcanic eruptions, impacts on people and their activities and the measures that may be taken in order to mitigate their consequences are the foci of this review. The nature and style of eruptions are related to differing plate tectonic situations and features of the sub-aerial environment, especially water availability. Eruptive style is related to both the traditional descriptive terminology (e.g. Plinian, Strombolian…
Women's participation in disaster recovery after the 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan earthquake
This study sought to learn how women participated in the recovery process after the Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 in Union Council Langarpura, Azad Kashmir state of Pakistan. Focus‐group discussions, semi‐structured interviews, and participant observations were conducted with a total of 48 participants. The results revealed that women played various important roles in the reproductive, productive, and community spheres, encompassing, inter a…
Routledge Handbook of Environmental Hazards and Society
Health Systems Responsiveness in Addressing Indigenous Residents' Health and Mental Health Needs Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in Northern Alberta, Canada
Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in northern Alberta, the provincial health authority, the ministry of health, non-profit and charitable organizations, and regional community-based service agencies mobilized to address the growing health and mental health concerns among Indigenous residents and communities through the provision of services and supports. Among the communities and residents that experienced significant devastation and loss w…
Spring flooding and recurring evacuations of Kashechewan First Nation, northern Ontario, Canada
Interpreting and responding to wildfire smoke in western Canada
This paper presents findings from an online survey that explored public experiences of wildfire smoke, public health advisory information, risk perceptions, and protective actions in response to wildfire smoke in western Canada. Most respondents had wildfire smoke experiences lasting several days with decreased visibility, and many had difficulty breathing and changes to their health. While a majority of respondents were aware of the Air Quality …
Exploring Indigenous Ways of Coping After a Wildfire Disaster in Northern Alberta, Canada
In May 2016, a wildfire devastated a northern region of Alberta, Canada, resulting in negative consequences on physical and mental stress, social relationships, and overall resilience among Indigenous residents. Research on coping and managing stress following a disaster has failed to incorporate unique characteristics from Indigenous perspectives. Sharing circles were held in urban and rural community settings to capture: (a) Indigenous perspect…
Frequent Flooding and Perceived Adaptive Capacity of Subarctic Kashechewan First Nation, Canada
Perceived (socio-cognitive) capacity is as important as objective (material resources) capacity in assessing the overall adaptive capacity of people at the community level. Higher perceived and objective capacities generate greater total adaptive capacity. This article assesses the perceived adaptive capacity of the Kashechewan First Nation, located in the flood-prone southwestern James Bay (Subarctic) region in Canada. The community is frequentl…
Indigenous Elders’ Experiences, Vulnerabilities and Coping during Hazard Evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study employed in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion to examine Indigenous Elders’ experiences, vulnerabilities and coping during the 2011 wildfire evacuation of Sandy Lake First Nation. Before evacuees left Sandy Lake, a lack of emergency hazard evacuation preparedness at the community level posed challenges to the Elder evacuees. Once evacuees arrived in a host community, El…
The role of social support and place attachment during hazard evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study examined the role of family, social support and place attachment during a wildfire evacuation of Indigenous residents in remote Northern Ontario. A total of 56 interviews and two focus group discussions were completed with evacuated band members, those who stayed behind, and people who had a management role during the evacuation. In order to obtain diverse perspectives, two focus g…
The role of disaster volunteering in Indigenous communities
Drawing on Māori (Aotearoa-New Zealand), First Nations (Canada), and Navajo Nation (U.S.), case studies and practitioners’ experiences, this article addresses a gap in our understanding of the role of volunteers in emergencies and disasters in Indigenous communities. Enablers and challenges to effective volunteering in these Indigenous communities are discussed. Cultural enablers of volunteering include building capacity during non-emergency time…
Knowing wildfire risk
Artisanal and small-scale mining in Nigeria
Backcountry Snowmobilers’ Avalanche-Related Information-Seeking and Preparedness Behaviors
Backcountry recreationists in Canada are exposed to avalanche risks. Snowmobilers now make up a large proportion of backcountry recreationalists. This article presents results of a qualitative study of backcountry snowmobilers in western Canada. The Theory of Planned Behavior guided our examination of snowmobilers’ avalanche related information seeking and use of recommended preparedness equipment. Participating snowmobilers sought information fr…
The Influence of Culture on Wildfire Mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This article presents findings of a study that explored how culture influenced support for wildfire mitigation in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Aboriginal community located in Alberta, Canada. Community-based research was completed using interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The results show that cultural factors appeared to influence wildfire mitigation preferences. Participants indicated the current state of the forest was not n…
Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, communit…
Potential responses by on-campus university students to a university emergency alert
University campuses across Canada and elsewhere are developing and implementing emergency alert systems to warn campus community members about a variety of threats. In this study, focus group discussions were used to examine how undergraduate students living on campus may respond to an emergency alert. A focus group activity used tornado, fire and threatening message alert messages to provide a context for the focus group discussions. After readi…
Communication technology, emergency alerts, and campus safety
In the wake of a report on the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy that criticized officials for being too slow to alert the campus community, universities across North America are now implementing mass notification systems, often using text messaging as a primary alerting channel for students, staff, and faculty. An effective campus alerting system, like other public warning systems, involves a complex socio-technical assemblage that combines mass no…
Comparison of homeowner response to wildfire risk among towns with and without wildfire management
Few studies have examined the relationship between wildfire management by government agencies and homeowner wildfire risk mitigation. The goal of this paper is to compare perception of the wildfire risk, attribution of responsibility for mitigation, awareness of wildfire and mitigation, and adoption of wildfire mitigation activities among homeowners in towns where wildfire management activities have been completed by government (management group)…
An Examination of the Influence of Hazard Experience on Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Adoption of Mitigation Measures
Previous experience with a hazard has been identified as influencing risk perception and adoption of adjustments. However, this relationship is not clear and may depend on the differences in experiences that may occur within a community. This article describes residents' wildfire experiences and explores how these experiences may influence risk perceptions and implementation of mitigation measures 1 year after the 2003 Lost Creek and McLure wildf…
Power, Knowledge, and Public Engagement
Foucault's concept of governmentality has provided the basis for recent analysis of governance that explains the connections between power and knowledge in the formation of subjects in advanced liberal societies. In this paper, we apply this concept to help to understand the persistent conflict and power struggles that are characteristic of contemporary public engagement in environmental planning, using the case study of a regional land use plan …
An Examination of the Influence of Hazard Experience on Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Adoption of Mitigation Measures
Previous experience with a hazard has been identified as influencing risk perception and adoption of adjustments. However, this relationship is not clear and may depend on the differences in experiences that may occur within a community. This article describes residents' wildfire experiences and explores how these experiences may influence risk perceptions and implementation of mitigation measures 1 year after the 2003 Lost Creek and McLure wildf…
Knowing wildfire risk
The role of disaster volunteering in Indigenous communities
Drawing on Māori (Aotearoa-New Zealand), First Nations (Canada), and Navajo Nation (U.S.), case studies and practitioners’ experiences, this article addresses a gap in our understanding of the role of volunteers in emergencies and disasters in Indigenous communities. Enablers and challenges to effective volunteering in these Indigenous communities are discussed. Cultural enablers of volunteering include building capacity during non-emergency time…
The Influence of Culture on Wildfire Mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This article presents findings of a study that explored how culture influenced support for wildfire mitigation in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Aboriginal community located in Alberta, Canada. Community-based research was completed using interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The results show that cultural factors appeared to influence wildfire mitigation preferences. Participants indicated the current state of the forest was not n…
Artisanal and small-scale mining in Nigeria
Indigenous Elders’ Experiences, Vulnerabilities and Coping during Hazard Evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study employed in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion to examine Indigenous Elders’ experiences, vulnerabilities and coping during the 2011 wildfire evacuation of Sandy Lake First Nation. Before evacuees left Sandy Lake, a lack of emergency hazard evacuation preparedness at the community level posed challenges to the Elder evacuees. Once evacuees arrived in a host community, El…
The role of social support and place attachment during hazard evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study examined the role of family, social support and place attachment during a wildfire evacuation of Indigenous residents in remote Northern Ontario. A total of 56 interviews and two focus group discussions were completed with evacuated band members, those who stayed behind, and people who had a management role during the evacuation. In order to obtain diverse perspectives, two focus g…
Women's participation in disaster recovery after the 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan earthquake
This study sought to learn how women participated in the recovery process after the Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 in Union Council Langarpura, Azad Kashmir state of Pakistan. Focus‐group discussions, semi‐structured interviews, and participant observations were conducted with a total of 48 participants. The results revealed that women played various important roles in the reproductive, productive, and community spheres, encompassing, inter a…
Completion of recommended WUI fire mitigation measures within urban households in Edmonton, Canada
The purpose of this study was to examine completion of recommended wildland—urban interface (WUI) fire mitigation measures by residents adjacent to the heavily vegetated North Saskatchewan river valley and ravine system in the City of Edmonton, Alberta. A mail survey was distributed to a random sample of households adjacent to this natural area. Almost all homeowners were found to be completing some recommended mitigation measures and in many cas…
Interpreting and responding to wildfire smoke in western Canada
This paper presents findings from an online survey that explored public experiences of wildfire smoke, public health advisory information, risk perceptions, and protective actions in response to wildfire smoke in western Canada. Most respondents had wildfire smoke experiences lasting several days with decreased visibility, and many had difficulty breathing and changes to their health. While a majority of respondents were aware of the Air Quality …
Exploring Indigenous Ways of Coping After a Wildfire Disaster in Northern Alberta, Canada
In May 2016, a wildfire devastated a northern region of Alberta, Canada, resulting in negative consequences on physical and mental stress, social relationships, and overall resilience among Indigenous residents. Research on coping and managing stress following a disaster has failed to incorporate unique characteristics from Indigenous perspectives. Sharing circles were held in urban and rural community settings to capture: (a) Indigenous perspect…
Backcountry Snowmobilers’ Avalanche-Related Information-Seeking and Preparedness Behaviors
Backcountry recreationists in Canada are exposed to avalanche risks. Snowmobilers now make up a large proportion of backcountry recreationalists. This article presents results of a qualitative study of backcountry snowmobilers in western Canada. The Theory of Planned Behavior guided our examination of snowmobilers’ avalanche related information seeking and use of recommended preparedness equipment. Participating snowmobilers sought information fr…
Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, communit…
Potential responses by on-campus university students to a university emergency alert
University campuses across Canada and elsewhere are developing and implementing emergency alert systems to warn campus community members about a variety of threats. In this study, focus group discussions were used to examine how undergraduate students living on campus may respond to an emergency alert. A focus group activity used tornado, fire and threatening message alert messages to provide a context for the focus group discussions. After readi…
Comparison of homeowner response to wildfire risk among towns with and without wildfire management
Few studies have examined the relationship between wildfire management by government agencies and homeowner wildfire risk mitigation. The goal of this paper is to compare perception of the wildfire risk, attribution of responsibility for mitigation, awareness of wildfire and mitigation, and adoption of wildfire mitigation activities among homeowners in towns where wildfire management activities have been completed by government (management group)…
The Social Context of Responses to Lead Contamination in an Australian Community
This paper illustrates how an understanding of the social context of responses to health hazards assists in the development of health promotion strategies. In early 1992, chronic environmental lead contamination became a public issue in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. This paper is based on a study completed between May 1992 and December 1995, which set out to explore the nature of social responses to this environmental health hazard. Fi…
Sex differences in values and knowledge of wildlife in victoria, Australia
This paper presents the findings from one aspect of a study which was prompted by a limited understanding of people's values and knowledge ofwildlife in Victoria, Australia. This paper specifically focuses on the values and knowledge of wildlife held by males and females, and compares these with how Victorian wildlife managers perceive these groups. The different values and knowledge held by males and females were also explored in different types…
Toward Incorporating Human Dimensions Information into Wildlife Management Decision-Making
n\t\t\t\t\tThis paper presents a comparison of values of wildlife held by stakeholder groups and public samples in Victoria, Australia, with a sample of wildlife managers' beliefs about these groups. It also examines the managers' views of the importance of utilizing human dimensions information in their decision-making. In-depth interviews were conducted with wildlife/environmental managers in a sample of state and local government agencies and …
“It's just a natural way of life…” an investigation of wildfire preparedness in rural Australia
This study explores the preparedness of residents livingin a rural community in Victoria, Australia, for wildfires, and the factors influencing their preparedness. Overall, participants were well aware of wildfire risks and appeared well prepared for the event of a fire. However, residents involved in agriculture and with a long-standing association with the area appeared better prepared than were those on small properties and newcomers. Their so…
Snake Management on Private Properties in Melbourne, Australia
The occurrence of snakes on private properties concerns many residents. Translocation of snakes by licensed wildlife controllers from private properties to public land is a common management practice in Victoria, Australia. Licensed snake controllers and first contact organizations (mainly local governments) that receive calls from those wishing to have a snake removed were surveyed via phone interview or mail questionnaire to obtain insights int…
Completion of recommended WUI fire mitigation measures within urban households in Edmonton, Canada
The purpose of this study was to examine completion of recommended wildland—urban interface (WUI) fire mitigation measures by residents adjacent to the heavily vegetated North Saskatchewan river valley and ravine system in the City of Edmonton, Alberta. A mail survey was distributed to a random sample of households adjacent to this natural area. Almost all homeowners were found to be completing some recommended mitigation measures and in many cas…
Conceptual frameworks for SIA revisited
This article trials three conceptual frameworks on an Australian case study of a small remote city suffering lead contamination, with cumulative effects from concurrent economic change due to downsizing in the mining industry. It interprets the usefulness of these frameworks, and explores two questions: can they apply to circumstances other than project assessment, and what are their relative merits as guides to SIA? All the frameworks reviewed c…
Power, Knowledge, and Public Engagement
Foucault's concept of governmentality has provided the basis for recent analysis of governance that explains the connections between power and knowledge in the formation of subjects in advanced liberal societies. In this paper, we apply this concept to help to understand the persistent conflict and power struggles that are characteristic of contemporary public engagement in environmental planning, using the case study of a regional land use plan …
Communication technology, emergency alerts, and campus safety
In the wake of a report on the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy that criticized officials for being too slow to alert the campus community, universities across North America are now implementing mass notification systems, often using text messaging as a primary alerting channel for students, staff, and faculty. An effective campus alerting system, like other public warning systems, involves a complex socio-technical assemblage that combines mass no…
Comparison of homeowner response to wildfire risk among towns with and without wildfire management
Few studies have examined the relationship between wildfire management by government agencies and homeowner wildfire risk mitigation. The goal of this paper is to compare perception of the wildfire risk, attribution of responsibility for mitigation, awareness of wildfire and mitigation, and adoption of wildfire mitigation activities among homeowners in towns where wildfire management activities have been completed by government (management group)…
An Examination of the Influence of Hazard Experience on Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Adoption of Mitigation Measures
Previous experience with a hazard has been identified as influencing risk perception and adoption of adjustments. However, this relationship is not clear and may depend on the differences in experiences that may occur within a community. This article describes residents' wildfire experiences and explores how these experiences may influence risk perceptions and implementation of mitigation measures 1 year after the 2003 Lost Creek and McLure wildf…
Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, communit…
Potential responses by on-campus university students to a university emergency alert
University campuses across Canada and elsewhere are developing and implementing emergency alert systems to warn campus community members about a variety of threats. In this study, focus group discussions were used to examine how undergraduate students living on campus may respond to an emergency alert. A focus group activity used tornado, fire and threatening message alert messages to provide a context for the focus group discussions. After readi…
The Influence of Culture on Wildfire Mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada
This article presents findings of a study that explored how culture influenced support for wildfire mitigation in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Aboriginal community located in Alberta, Canada. Community-based research was completed using interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The results show that cultural factors appeared to influence wildfire mitigation preferences. Participants indicated the current state of the forest was not n…
Artisanal and small-scale mining in Nigeria
Backcountry Snowmobilers’ Avalanche-Related Information-Seeking and Preparedness Behaviors
Backcountry recreationists in Canada are exposed to avalanche risks. Snowmobilers now make up a large proportion of backcountry recreationalists. This article presents results of a qualitative study of backcountry snowmobilers in western Canada. The Theory of Planned Behavior guided our examination of snowmobilers’ avalanche related information seeking and use of recommended preparedness equipment. Participating snowmobilers sought information fr…
Knowing wildfire risk
The role of social support and place attachment during hazard evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study examined the role of family, social support and place attachment during a wildfire evacuation of Indigenous residents in remote Northern Ontario. A total of 56 interviews and two focus group discussions were completed with evacuated band members, those who stayed behind, and people who had a management role during the evacuation. In order to obtain diverse perspectives, two focus g…
The role of disaster volunteering in Indigenous communities
Drawing on Māori (Aotearoa-New Zealand), First Nations (Canada), and Navajo Nation (U.S.), case studies and practitioners’ experiences, this article addresses a gap in our understanding of the role of volunteers in emergencies and disasters in Indigenous communities. Enablers and challenges to effective volunteering in these Indigenous communities are discussed. Cultural enablers of volunteering include building capacity during non-emergency time…
Frequent Flooding and Perceived Adaptive Capacity of Subarctic Kashechewan First Nation, Canada
Perceived (socio-cognitive) capacity is as important as objective (material resources) capacity in assessing the overall adaptive capacity of people at the community level. Higher perceived and objective capacities generate greater total adaptive capacity. This article assesses the perceived adaptive capacity of the Kashechewan First Nation, located in the flood-prone southwestern James Bay (Subarctic) region in Canada. The community is frequentl…
Indigenous Elders’ Experiences, Vulnerabilities and Coping during Hazard Evacuation
Using a qualitative community-based research approach, this study employed in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion to examine Indigenous Elders’ experiences, vulnerabilities and coping during the 2011 wildfire evacuation of Sandy Lake First Nation. Before evacuees left Sandy Lake, a lack of emergency hazard evacuation preparedness at the community level posed challenges to the Elder evacuees. Once evacuees arrived in a host community, El…
Health Systems Responsiveness in Addressing Indigenous Residents' Health and Mental Health Needs Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in Northern Alberta, Canada
Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in northern Alberta, the provincial health authority, the ministry of health, non-profit and charitable organizations, and regional community-based service agencies mobilized to address the growing health and mental health concerns among Indigenous residents and communities through the provision of services and supports. Among the communities and residents that experienced significant devastation and loss w…
Spring flooding and recurring evacuations of Kashechewan First Nation, northern Ontario, Canada
Interpreting and responding to wildfire smoke in western Canada
This paper presents findings from an online survey that explored public experiences of wildfire smoke, public health advisory information, risk perceptions, and protective actions in response to wildfire smoke in western Canada. Most respondents had wildfire smoke experiences lasting several days with decreased visibility, and many had difficulty breathing and changes to their health. While a majority of respondents were aware of the Air Quality …
Exploring Indigenous Ways of Coping After a Wildfire Disaster in Northern Alberta, Canada
In May 2016, a wildfire devastated a northern region of Alberta, Canada, resulting in negative consequences on physical and mental stress, social relationships, and overall resilience among Indigenous residents. Research on coping and managing stress following a disaster has failed to incorporate unique characteristics from Indigenous perspectives. Sharing circles were held in urban and rural community settings to capture: (a) Indigenous perspect…
Disaster Management and Resilience (23 works) · Geography (23 works) · Business (16 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Political science (15 works) · Environmental planning (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Ecology (13 works) · Environmental resource management (12 works) · Fire effects on ecosystems (11 works)