ONGOING RECOVERY

• • Meeting Basic Needs
  • Tri-Council Collaboration
  • Stakeholders in Recovery
• • Committed Funding
  • Progress Report

Help at Every Turn

Support for our region and its residents in crisis ran the gamut from the Premier of Alberta to the person on the street. Initially, help took the form of additional firefighting crews and emergency medical personnel. Soon thereafter, outlying communities such as Westlock, Athabasca and Edmonton opened their arms to residents fleeing the flames. The outpouring of help came from everywhere, and it was as immediate and all-encompassing as the fire itself.

"The community of Smith was absolutely amazing; they went above and beyond in what they did for all the people that evacuated there."

Almost as soon as the fires had begun, Lesser Slave River was front page news. People far and wide learned of the significant crisis that swept through our communities and, as is the nature of Albertans, people offered help – both within affected areas and outside of the region. Local neighbours Smith, Wabasca, Athabasca, Grande Prairie, Westlock and Edmonton not only established emergency evacuation accommodations for displaced residents, they provided home-cooked meals, arranged for shopping excursions for moms, and took kids to the local pool. Collectively, these communities mounted a massive effort to not only provide basic needs, but to create the semblance of a normal life for those hit hardest by the disaster. These gestures will never be forgotten.

The Canadian Red Cross and Salvation Army set up facilities in town and plan to provide unmet needs for at least two years. To date, more than $5 million has poured in from benefit concerts, charitable organizations and concerned citizens. In early days, items like clothing, bedding, toiletries and bottled water flooded in to such a degree that a donations center had to be established in order to deal with organization and distribution. The local Rotary Club offered replacement toys to children. Schools waived annual fees; insurers waived payment schedules; employers continued to pay salaries throughout the crisis; the sheer depth and breadth of kindness shown to the devastated communities of Lesser Slave River has been difficult to measure.