About the Arctic Small Communities Preparedness Database and Map

The Arctic Small Communities Preparedness Database and Map is a deliverable of the Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR) in Small Communities project of the Emergency Prevention Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Working Group of the Arctic Council. The project was developed following an EPPR workshop held in Anchorage, Alaska in 2015, at which participants identified the need for direct feedback from communities about their emergency prevention, preparedness, and response capabilities.

The Arctic Small Communities Preparedness Database and Map is tasked with:

  1. Identifying and compiling best practices in the form of a resource guide
  2. Surveying Arctic small communities regarding their preparedness, and develop a communities database online
  3. Feeding the database into an interactive map that features preparedness levels by community.

Together these represent tangible resources that remote Arctic communities can use, along with a compelling visualization of community preparedness.

Within the context of this project, small Arctic communities are defined less by population and more by their remoteness (distance from response hubs or infrastructure), lack of resources (human capability and competency, and response assets), and proximity to risk (defined by threat, vulnerability, consequence, and frequency). It is important to recognize that small communities manage risk often, but at small scales. Building from their experience is an important way to approach more significant risk/incidents that might produce themselves in the Arctic.

It is anticipated that small communities will get the most value from increased attention to their role in preparedness. With regards to prevention, the project identifies bottlenecks and finds solutions to implementation, but often these are outside the direct responsibility of small communities. Similarly, small communities’ ability to mount an effective response to medium to large scale incidents is minimal, so engagement in this area will vary by size and scale of risk.

The Arctic Small Communities Preparedness Database and Map is a deliverable of the EPPR Working Group under the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

Lead Organizations: United States Coast Guard and Norwegian Coastal Administration

Principal Investigator & Project Manager: Nils Andreassen, Executive Director, Institute of the North

Partners:

An organizing committee was established comprised of EPPR project leads from the U.S. Coast Guard, Norwegian Coastal Administration, and Transport Canada, as well as from Aleut International Association.

The Institute of the North: is the project manager and principal investigator. The Institute of the North is a non-partisan policy center that provides best practices from around the Circumpolar North to address critical challenges and take advantage of timely opportunities stemming from an increasingly active region. The Institute hosts initiatives that cross sectors and jurisdictions to empower northern peoples, increasing knowledge of northern issues at local, national and international levels of governance while strengthening Alaskans’ voices in decision-making processes. The Institute of the North has been the PI for the AMATII and Arctic Energy Summit SDWG projects, the Secretariat for the Circumpolar Infrastructure Task Force for SDWG, and the editor of AMSA for PAME.

The Arctic Portal: is a comprehensive gateway to Arctic information and data on the internet, increasing information sharing and co-operation among Arctic stakeholders and granting exposure to Arctic related information and data. For this purpose, Arctic Portal works in close collaboration with partners all over the world, developing new projects and initiative. Ultimately the Arctic Portal is working to increase Arctic-related knowledge.  The Arctic Portal Mapping System provides visual information about Arctic related information through various databases and websites. Contact: Halldór Jóhannsson Norðurslóðagáttin ehf, Skipagata 12, PO Box 170, 602 Akureyri, Iceland, tel. +354 462 2800, mob. +354 899 2929,

Arctic Oil Spill Response and Recovery Library

Multilaterial:

USA: United States Coast Guard

Canada: Transport Canada Marine Safety and Security Commissioner Canadian Coast Guard - Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Norway: Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket)

Finland: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE); Archipelago Sea Coast Guard

Russia: National Emergency Management Center of the EMERCOM of Russia; State Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (SMRCC) of the State Marine Pollution; Control, Salvage & Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (MPCSA)

Greenland/Denmark: Joint Arctic Command/ Government of Greenland/DCE-Danish Centre for Environment and Energy

Iceland: Environmental Agency of Iceland (EAI); The Icelandic Coastguard

Sweden: Swedish Coast Guard