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Evacuation and displacement

Wildfires can force people to leave their homes with little notice, leading to both short-term evacuations and longer-term displacement.

Beyond the immediate challenges of moving people to safety, affected communities may face prolonged disruption, loss of housing, impacts on livelihoods and difficulties returning or rebuilding. Planning, timely warnings and clear communication are essential to ensure evacuations reach and support everyone, particularly those most at risk. Explore the latest research, insights and resources on wildfire evacuation and how communities can strengthen preparedness and response.

Explore the latest research, insights and resources on wildfire-related evacuation and displacement, and the measures needed to support safe, inclusive and resilient recovery.

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Stunning rural landscape of vineyards and hills in Erice, Sicily on a clear day.
Update
Italy: The long goodbye to Piana degli Albanesi

This Sicilian community has endured for centuries. But climate change, drought, heat and wildfires are threatening farming livelihoods in Sicily’s Arbëreshë community, raising concerns over the potential loss of a 500-year-old cultural heritage.

Grist Magazine
Spanish Civil Guard vehicle assisting at a summer wildfire near a roadside.
Update
France, Spain: why the wildfires are off the charts

This region is no stranger to fire, analysis shows these wildfires are off the charts. A very hot summer primed many areas for fire. When they ignited, they spread ferociously. The area of land burned in France is 40% larger than the previous record year.

Conversation Media Group, the
California wildfires, July 2021
Update
New technologies that could spark change in wildfire risk reduction

The impacts of climate change are escalating, compounded by urban expansion into fire-prone areas. Eight cutting-edge technologies have the potential to revolutionize wildfire risk reduction strategies.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Mapping hazard-access mismatches in wildfire evacuation systems: a multi-facility accessibility framework thumbnail
Documents and publications
Mapping hazard-access mismatches in wildfire evacuation systems: a multi-facility accessibility framework

This study proposes a Wildfire Evacuation Resource Index (WERI) quantifies census-tract accessibility to emergency shelters, hospitals, lodging, gas stations, and EV charging stations within a three-step floating catchment area framework.

npj Natural Hazards (Nature)
Update
Chile: Leaving home - community’s struggle to stay

Some have migrated from the Valparaíso region, but others have organised to remain in the face of advancing forest fires

Dialogue Earth
Update
When are wildfire evacuations most dangerous?

Research shows that delaying evacuation during wildfires increases risk, with driving conditions and social behavior making late evacuation particularly dangerous.

Wildfire Today
Update
Canada: Supporting Indigenous communities hit hardest by wildfires

Indigenous communities face disproportionate wildfire impacts due to limited resources, jurisdictional gaps, and evacuation challenges. The article urges long-term funding, better coordination, and stronger prevention and mitigation efforts.

Conversation Media Group, the
driving-behaviour-during-flood-and-bushfire-emergency-evacuations_insights-from-observational-and-self-reported-data.pdf thumbnail
Documents and publications
Driving behaviour during flood and bushfire emergency evacuations: Insights from observational and self-reported data

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach by integrating content analysis of self-recorded real-life driving videos with surveys and discrete choice experiments.

University of New South Wales
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