As wildfire seasons grow increasingly severe, business travelers face heightened risks that demand vigilant preparedness and proactive safety measures. World Travel Protection, a global leader in travel risk management, and Riskline, a travel risk intelligence company, have released crucial data and safety recommendations to help companies safeguard their traveling employees.
Last year, cities along the East Coast, from New York to Montreal, experienced severe air quality issues due to smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires. These events led to urgent air quality warnings, the cancellation of company events, and significant disruptions to corporate travel. This year, California alone has seen wildfires burn over 20 times more land than the previous year, causing extensive damage to supply chains and local economies. Additionally, the tourist town of Jasper, Alberta, recently suffered devastation due to wildfires. Experts universally agree that wildfire seasons are growing longer, more severe, and more frequent, necessitating advanced measures to protect business travelers.
Countries Most at Risk
According to Riskline, the top countries with the highest number of wildfire alerts in 2023 were:
– Australia: 116 alerts
– Canada: 63 alerts
– United States: 51 alerts
– Spain: 23 alerts
– Indonesia: 20 alerts
– Greece: 19 alerts
– Chile: 16 alerts
– Italy: 12 alerts
– Kazakhstan: 6 alerts
– South Korea: 6 alerts
These alerts include notifications of individual wildfires as well as disruptions caused by the fires, such as evacuations, power outages, state of emergency declarations, and related warnings.
Read the whole article in GTSC Homeland Security Today US.
Photo credits: GTSC Homeland Security Today US
