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With an estimated 30,000 people around the Central Okanagan forced to flee their homes, a herculean effort has been launched to meet needs, but it’s not been a completely smooth endeavour.
Long lines, people sleeping in their cars and a stifled flow of information is causing frustration among those who are gathering at evacuation muster points and officials know, and are doing what they can to alleviate some of the stress.
“For those that are evacuated, I need to ask for your continued and ongoing patience, particularly around emergency support services and the provision of those,” West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said Sunday morning.
“I understand that there is a significant wait for people to register and receive ESS support … But we’re taking steps to try and improve that including providing real-time information on which groups are being registered.”
Brolund, who has become the face of this tremendous fire in recent days, is not immune to the problems evacuees are facing.
“I’ll share with the public that my family is in the same line that you are and we are standing there with you to complete that registration process,” he said. “So please be patient with that.”
Evacuations, however, aren’t aways a time for patience and calm.
Megan Michaluk was at her home near McKinley Beach, watching the McDougall Creek fire across the lake from her patio and thought she was safe.
Every few minutes the fire seemed to grow with the whipping winds.
“It was terrifying to see how quickly it was just completely consuming the west side,” she said.
She started getting text messages from friends, insisting she leave just to be safe. At about midnight she started packing.
“I didn’t pack sensibly at all,” she said. “I was just, like, throwing stuff in.”
In her bag was a winter coat, a dress she had for a wedding she planned to attend, admitting that in the confusion of the moment, “what I packed was just ridiculous.”
She tried to get back into her neighbourhood the next morning but was turned away. She’s comfortable at a friend’s place for the time being, she said.
Many others, however, need another place to go.
With emergency services struggling to find places for people to sleep, hotels and other accommodations are being tapped to help.
“We were at Prospera Place last night meeting with evacuees and volunteers and we currently have people sleeping on cots in an arena,” Loyal Woodridge, chair of the Central Okanagan regional district said.
“That just speaks to the dire need for mass accommodation at this time.”
This pressure to house those who have been told to flee their homes is at the root of Minister Bonwinn Ma issuing an order Saturday, limiting movement to wildfire-affected areas only to essential travel, Woodridge said.
“What we’re looking for are commercial accommodations like hotels and motels and that is being managed with the province through the hotel and motel association,” Wooldridge said.
This has prompted a complaint from would be travellers.
“We were planning to travel to Penticton for Ironman Canada next weekend and rented out a house through Airbnb,” Andrew Pool wrote to Global Okanagan.
“Upon the notice yesterday on the travel restrictions (and the cancellation of the event) we immediately started the process of cancelling our reservation because (being from the coast) we could not travel to stay and would be unnecessarily occupying a house that sleeps 10 from others who are in greater need.”
Pool said others have received refunds but they’ve not been so lucky and may be out as much as $2,500 for a three-night stay.
That concern has been raised with public officials.
“Refund requests should be made through those individual vendors and companies and I believe all elected officials would implore them to respond with compassion and understanding,” Wooldridge said.
As of Friday morning, approximately 30,000 people are under evacuation order and 36,000 people are under evacuation alert, according to the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
More than 500 active firefighting personnel will be on the ground throughout the region on Sunday, Aug. 20, with support from hundreds of additional personnel working for various other governments and agencies.
“While cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped crews make progress overnight, the wildfires are active and the situation remains fluid,” Central Okanagan Regional District officials aid.
“Structural losses have occurred. The number of structural losses will be announced after confirmation can be achieved through on-the-ground assessments as personnel are able to safety access the fire-affected areas.”
People on evacuation order are being told to register online at https://ess.gov.bc.ca.
After they register online, those evacuees who are in need support can attend the reception centre nearest them at either Royal LePage Place at 2760 Cameron Rd. in West Kelowna and Kal Tire Place at 3445 43 Ave. in Vernon.
-with files from Canadian Press
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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