United States, Great Lakes

[Page 717]The Great Lakes region includes lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario; the American states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York; and the bordering Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The region has been growing in population almost constantly since the early 1600s, and the population consistently is self-reliant in terms of disaster relief. The formation of national and international disaster relief organizations have also provided aid to the authorities of nearby local communities for distribution.

The most common disasters for the region are maritime, weather-related, and fire. Maritime disasters occur mainly in the late fall of each year during what is commonly referred to as the gales of November. Just before winter makes the lakes impassable, the owners and crew ...