The economic risk that avalanches pose to small towns, such as those like Revelstoke, BC, from the documentary.
These are popular areas for winter sports. Form one hand, it attracts about 1 million individuals who are ready to pay from another, snow can cut supply routes for the whole region and damage infrastructure (Free Documentary, 2020). This only road also connects Revelstoke with the reservation.
How the change of weather can create ideal conditions for an avalanche.
The weather can change very fast in the mountains. This change promotes the emergence of layers of snow with various densities. The weight of one layer can precondition sliding and the emergence of an avalanche (Free Documentary, 2020).
How fast can the ‘air blast’ of an avalanch travel?
Air blast travels 350 km/h, which can break trees and be very destructive (Free Documentary, 2020).
Types of military weapon that are used by the Canadian Army to create controlled avalanches and how much does it cost
The army uses canons known as howitzers to create controlled avalanches (Free Documentary, 2020). It costs about $75.000 an hour (Free Documentary, 2020).
The name of the traditional winter houses for some Indigenous populations in BC.
Indigenous populations have their pit homes that are used as their houses (Free Documentary, 2020).
How the Shuswap Indigenous Elder (the one in the video teaching kids) feels avalanches should be dealt with, as opposed to the government approach.
They do not damage things in that way, accept avalanches, and prefer to find other ways to deal with these disasters. It might make them take hundreds of miles to travel, and it will be worth it as they will avoid causing damage to animals, berries, and nature (Free Documentary, 2020).
Ways the Avalanche fighter uses a snow profile to assess the danger from avalanches.
First, he looks for layers to see whether they are stable or not. He can also feel the difference between layers. The density of the snow and the size and shape of snow crystals show how stable the situation is and whether there is a risk of an avalanche. He can also use a shovel to understand whether the snow is stable or no. The block of snow shows that the risk is high (Free Documentary, 2020).
The approximate number of shells fired at the Rocky Mountains by soldiers in a typical winter season?
During a typical season, soldiers fire about 300 shells at the Rocky Mountains (Free Documentary, 2020).
How fast can the ‘powder clouds’ of an avalanche travel?
Powder clouds are dangerous as they reach speed up to 250 km per hour (Free Documentary, 2020).
Aside from the actual impact, how what other danger do powder clouds pose to living creatures?
They create a cloud dense enough to suffocate a person (Free Documentary, 2020).
What stood out for me or surprised me the most about avalanche fighting.
One of the most surprising things about avalanches is that their effective management and struggling with them demand such a significant effort. The use of the army and cannons seems the astonishing fact, as soldiers fire about 300 shells during a season. It means that the risk is so high that the government is ready to spend significant sums to avoid uncontrolled avalanches and ensure that the most appropriate paths are selected. However, there is another important question touched upon by Indigenous people. Such explosions can cause serious harm to animals and plants in the area, meaning that if there is some living being in the zone, it will die. Under these conditions, the documentary shows that avalanche fighting is a challenging and, at the same time, a multi-layered phenomenon as it can also be viewed as the opposition of a human being and nature.
The main differences shown in the film between Indigenous perspectives and Government perspectives as they relate to the environment and/or natural disasters such as avalanches.
The government and Indigenous people have an opposing vision of the problem of avalanches. The authorities view citizens’ protection as their major priority. For this reason, they use the latest scientific research and technology to improve disaster management and guarantee that there is no damage caused to infrastructure and dwelling. In such a way, they care about people and the local economy. At the same time, Indigenous representatives emphasize the harm done to the environment by using such approaches. Instead of using cannons, they are sure that people should just move to ensure that nature works in its usual ways and no animals or plants suffer from human activity. The difference in these perspectives on struggling with natural disasters represents the two visions and divergence between cultures.
Reference
Free Documentary. (2020). Deadly avalanches: Snow wars in Canada | Free Documentary [Video]. YouTube. Web.