- Author
- Halvorson, S. J.
- Title
- Fires of 2000: Community Response and Recovery in the Bitter Root Valley, Western Montana.
- Coporate
- University of Montana, Missouls
- Report
- Quick Response Report 151, 2002, 15 p.
- Distribution
- FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Website: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr151/qr151.html
- Keywords
- fire storms | forest fires | wildland fires | fire damage | impact | recovery | smoke | evacuation | response time
- Identifiers
- research site: The Bitter Root Valley, Western Montana; local perceptions and attitudes; effects on the valley's airshed; community-based networks and culture of response
- Abstract
- In late July and August, 2000, firestorms raged in the western United States. Several areas in Montana, especially the Bitter Root Valley in Western Montana, were severely impacted. Through a quick response study, data were collected in selected communities in the Bitter Root Valley. The communities studied were severely affected by the fires. Data were collected on the extent of the damage, perceptions of fire, the local strategies of coping with the impacts of the fires, and the various roles of community-based organizations in the response and recovery process. The results of this study indicate that the communities exemplified a significant level of resiliency during and after the firestorms. Certain communities and dispersed mountain settlements were more vulnerable to the fire risk than others, yet everyone living in the valley experienced the smoke and the trauma associated with this event. Lessons of practical and policy relevance regarding recovery in the wildland-urban interface are highlighted. The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of the devastating firestorms of 2000 on western Montana, with emphasis on local response and recovery in the mountain communities of the Bitter Root Valley.