(Photo Supplied: Evacuees salute members of the RCMP after finally being allowed to travel south from camps north of Fort McMurray. Alberta RCMP)
In an early afternoon conference call with media Tuesday Mayor Melissa Blake said that she expects many people to return to Fort McMurray survey the damage, collect some essentials and then return to their temporary accommodations. Blake and her family will be doing just that.
“There’s a lot of people very keen to go home, I think they’re in for the shocking experience of seeing what they know really transformed in the negative way,” said Blake. “The difficulty is they’re going to be facing diminished service capacity.”
The Mayor noted that her family will not return until after the boil water advisory has been lifted and until the school year is finished, Blake has two sons.
“My expectation is people will make similar decisions based on their own needs and urgency’s, there will be people who will be returning to work which is a very positive thing,” she said.
RMWB staff and community stakeholders will begin a dry run of the re-entry process starting Thursday. City employees will return to their homes and begin to follow the step-by-step instructions laid out in the 36-page information booklet released Monday.
Staff will visit the seven information centre locations set up by the RMWB to receive information, cleaning kits provided by The Canadian Red Cross and other services in hopes of ironing out any wrinkles in the process before the general public returns on Jun. 1.
“We’re going to be examining our information centres ensuring that we have the right process, that we have the right people, we have the right supporting requirements within it,” said Bob Couture, Director of Emergency Management for the Regional Emergency Operations Centre. “Reviewing the information pamphlet of what’s to be expected when the individual goes inside their home, what to look for, we’re going to be testing that the ATCO Gas hookup [is functioning].”
While the general public is set to return in just over a week, the province is warning seniors, children under the age of seven and those not in good health to hold off on their return.
“If you’re living in a neighborhood that has a significant burn result in the neighborhood, you don’t want your kids exposed to any of the dangers that would come with playing in proximity to anything like that,” said Blake.
A boil water advisory is expected to be in place until the end of June, while the hospital will only be able to provide very limited services. The air quality is expected to give those with heart and respiratory problems issues as well, they’re also being asked to wait to return to the community.
Services available will also be limited as it will take time for grocery stores and gas stations to stock their shelves and fill their tanks.
“Those service based industries are working really hard around the clock to ensure that their facilities are up and running information that we’ve had and the typical situation is that it takes them at least 14 days to have their complete service line in place,” said Couture.
The RMWB is asking anyone returning to McMurray for good to bring at least 14 days of supplies including food, water, and medication.
