Crisis & Recovery Coming Home
THE AFTERMATH | COMING HOME
As residents began making their way from outlying evacuation facilities back into their communities, recovery efforts were in full swing. Cleanup was well underway, temporary housing was provided for displaced residents, and work began to replace homes and businesses lost in the fire. A reception facility was set up and staffed by Red Cross, Social Services, The Salvation Army and other agencies to assist residents with a wide variety of re-entry issues. Premier Stelmach and Prime Minister Harper toured the area and extended financial support. Insurance adjusters set up satellite offices in the Town of Slave Lake to help residents with the sad and tedious task of cataloguing what they had lost.
In the early stages of recovery, residents and cleanup crews did not always share the same perspective. Damaged and destroyed homes were cordoned off due to considerable safety concerns, preventing frustrated residents from returning to assess the damage. Workers sifted through foundations in an attempt to salvage personal effects – a chore that, to residents, represented an invasion of privacy. Some properties – including those untouched by fire – were strategically bulldozed in the heat of battle to divert the blaze and minimize its destruction. For some, this was the last straw in a seemingly unending series of misfortunes.
In the summer months following the crisis, the definition of 'home' changed for the residents of Lesser Slave River. People bought holiday trailers and lived in campgrounds or neighbours' yards. Some stayed in hotels, while others rented or purchased new homes in the area. For many, home was the sofa or spare bedroom of a friend or family member. Some people – especially renters – were left with few options but to leave the area and make a fresh start elsewhere.
ON THE FRONT LINES
Firefighters and emergency services personnel of all stripes worked around the clock to keep the wildfires at bay. Despite risks to their safety, physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion, they would not back down.
COMMUNITY IN ACTION
From within our borders to far flung towns and municipalities, assistance was offered from a variety of sources. Click here to discover how these everyday heroes have helped before, during and after the disaster.
EVACUATING RESIDENTS
Municipal workers tasked with initiating evacuation procedures had to walk a fine line between conveying the sense of urgency while remaining calm and not allowing panic to take root. Here's how it went down.
FIRE WEATHER INDEX
CRISIS PRESENTATION
View an immersive presentation on the spring 2011 wildfires.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Listen to the personal accounts of those who weathered the fires.
Darren, Councillor
Kelly, Human Resource Coordinator
Tom, Landfill Manager
INTERACTIVE MAP
Discover where the wildfires began and how they spread
