EVACUATION EFFORTS | RECEPTION FACILITIES

• • Notifying Communities
  • Reception Facilities
  • Meaningful Gestures
• • Animal Rescue
  • Darren's Story
  • Vanessa's Story
• • Annette's Story
  • Karen and Bob's Story
  • Facts & Figures

Once residents were safely out of harm's way, they still needed somewhere to go. Initially, this was the Evacuation Center that Social Services had established at the Northern Lakes College. But as the situation worsened, it became clear that a much larger and longer-term solution would be required. There was a span of several hours when all roads out of the area were impassable due to fire, but Highway 2 would eventually reopen, allowing residents to leave – many of whom had no game plan beyond the end of the fuel in their tanks.

Most towns and municipalities have systems in place to provide emergency accommodations and otherwise assist in the event of a crisis. As residents streamed out of the disaster zone, these systems automatically engaged. Neighbouring towns like Smith and Wabasca prepared for our residents. When these towns overflowed, evacuees were sent farther afield to facilities in Athabasca, Westlock, and Edmonton. Almost immediately, the Provincial Government and Red Cross were on scene, hundreds of volunteers stepped in to assist, and entire communities endeavoured to provide the semblance of home for the suddenly homeless.

For the first several days, conference halls and gymnasiums were set up to house the displaced. As evacuees began to move to hotels or stay with family and friends, far fewer people actually slept at these facilities, but most would return daily for meals, donations, and most importantly, a sense of fellowship with those in a similar predicament. During the two-week displacement period, the Provincial Government provided evacuees with money for out-of-pocket incidentals. At a rate of $1250 per adult and $500 per child, the cost of this gesture alone exceeded $12 million.

Lesser Slave River Reeve Denny Garratt, along with his fellow Councillors and Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee, regularly visited these evacuation centers to provide anxious residents with news and next steps. These meetings were always well-attended, but they were not always friendly. Many residents wanted permission to retrieve holiday trailers or tools of their trade. Some were concerned about strangers touching their belongings. All wanted to go home. The visiting officials had no option but to share what little information they were allowed to provide, listen to the voices of anger and frustration, and move on to the next evacuation center.