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Re-entry plan in works for Abasand and Beacon Hill, more study needed for Waterways

An area of town heavily damaged in the wildfire. NICOLE BAGGIO. Staff.

The RMWB said it is waiting only for the approval of the Chief Medical Officer of Health before allowing residents to re-occupy standing homes in Abasand and Beacon Hill.

Those communities will be part of an initial re-entry plan for those homes in the areas currently restricted because of health and safety concerns.

However, there will have to be more work done before standing homes in Waterways would be granted permission for re-occupation.

In the first of what will now be a weekly Progress Report from REOC, the RMWB said, “The Municipality and the Government of Alberta are continuing to investigate what potential measures are required to safely re-occupy Waterways. Safety continues to be top priority for the Municipality, necessitating deeper study of the risks associated with rebuilding in the Waterways flood plain.”

While those plans are developed the RMWB will go ahead with work to bring residents home to Abasand and Beacon Hill.

At Wednesday’s Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee Meeting Erin O’Neill, Recovery Branch Lead, said they expect to have an approval from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to roll out the first phase of the plan within 12-21 days. Once the green-light is given it will take the RMWB about a week to put the plan into action.

As work is underway to secure Abasand and Beacon Hill for a safe re-occupation of Phase One standing homes, the Municipality is working with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Government of Alberta (GOA) and the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) to develop a robust safety mitigation plan for residents. Standing homes in these areas have been divided into a first and second phase, with the first phase being those homes which are farther away from the debris field.

“We have been working tirelessly with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to fine-tune the safety measures in Abasand and Beacon Hill, as part of the Green Homes Plan,” explained Chris Graham, Deputy Director of Emergency Management. “We are confident that residents in the first phase of standing homes will be able to return to those affected areas five to seven days after the CMOH signs off on the Plan.”

The Green Homes Plan includes details on re-entry, including what Abasand and Beacon Hill residents can expect upon return.

Information centres will be set up in both areas to provide support and information. In addition, Council has waived landfill tipping fees until October 31, 2016, to help residents with efficient waste removal. The bagster service will be available through the PULSE Line at 780-743-7000.

“In developing the Green Home Plan, we held tours with local stakeholders to demonstrate mitigation measures established since the CMOH’s original recommendations,” said Erin O’Neill, Recovery Branch Lead. “Local medical health officers, members of Alberta Health Services, local school board representatives, industry partners, clergy, members of the Government of Alberta Wildfire Recovery Task Force and the Municipality observed the success of the tackified areas adjacent to damaged homes, fortified fencing, specific demolition haul routes and controlled access plans, to name a few of the measures that have been taken.”

Following the wildfire, the Municipality led a massive effort that quickly allowed for the installation of over 64 kilometers of safety fencing and additional layers of tackifier following a successful sifting program.

Municipal staff have made significant progress flushing and cleaning the water distribution network in Abasand and Beacon Hill. Flushing is nearly complete, at which point bacteria testing will confirm the potability of water in those areas.

To date, a total of 732 Demolition Permit applications have been received and 419 permits have been issued, including homes in the restricted areas. 310 of these outstanding permit applications were received over the August long weekend. There have been 51 post-demolition inspections.

A further Progress Report will be issued on Thursday, August 11.