A resident surveys the wildfire damage, in Jasper Monday Aug. 19, 2024. Photo by David Bloom Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

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As wildfires continue to tear through communities across Canada, residents of Jasper are marking the second anniversary of the wildfire that forever changed their town. The scenes unfolding in Ontario are a stark reminder of what Jasper endured in 2024, when wildfire destroyed more than one third of the town’s structures and claimed the life of Alberta wildland firefighter, Morgan Kitchen.

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In the days following that fire, there was a shared belief in Jasper that the worst was over.

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Yet as many who have experienced wildfire will attest, the shock and loss that result from a disaster event, are often followed by fear and anxiety. The uncertainty that comes following a disaster is a struggle that lasts for years. There are many barriers to recovery that surface along the way.

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Many Jasperites are still wrestling with insurance delays, gaps in coverage, and the stress of huge repair costs that may or may not be reimbursed. With both homes and businesses lost, recovery has been an arduous process accompanied by financial, mental and emotional costs.

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Once first responders leave a disaster, there are two common questions that remain for people impacted: What do we do now? Where do we even start?

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There is no playbook for disaster recovery. But there should be.

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Based on our joint experiences and lessons learned, Canada needs a national disaster recovery strategy: a roadmap for community leaders to follow and adapt to their unique circumstances following the aftermath of a devastating event, developed in consultation with levels of government, Indigenous leaders, civil society, private-sector actors and those impacted. It needs to include clear key indicators of recovery and timelines with clear roles and responsibilities for recovery.

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It should also outline guidelines for rapid debris removal, temporary accommodations, how to reopen schools, and an overview of much-needed social and mental-health supports for children and families coping with the trauma of sudden loss. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The list of recovery priorities in a national strategy will be extensive.

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Canada does not lack for knowledge or experience in disaster recovery. Our vast country has seen many disasters, and climate change is only making them more frequent.

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The challenge is that knowledge and the lessons learned for recovery from these disasters are not shared across the country, and current approaches often lack cultural awareness and do not always include the voices of people impacted.

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That makes disaster recovery slower, more expensive and more fraught for impacted people.

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The result is a delayed recovery that undermines community socioeconomic health, causing further harm. Communities find themselves stalled in limbo: Businesses can’t re-open, houses are not rebuilt, people can’t return to work, families remain in temporary shelters or live far from home, and children are left without the routines and stability on which they depend.