As frustrations mount over the time it is taking for some Red Cross assistance to meet people in Fort McMurray the organization is making changes to try to help people as quickly as they can.
The Red Cross is prioritizing needs, putting things like housing and basic necessities first, and working to ensure there are no duplications in service between people’s insurance companies, other charitable help, and the levels of government providing assistance.
They are booking appointments instead of helping people first-come, first-served.
“In the work that we do we spend time meeting with families and individuals so that we understand the holistic complexity of their personal recovery, where they’re at at that time and place when they meet with us,” said Jenn McManus, the Vice President of the Red Cross in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. “Some of our meetings with residents are up to an hour long so that we can fully understand the context of their own personal recovery.”
She said that is creating a backlog.
“Because there’s many people that wish to meet with us, and we don’t want to rush them, we are booking appointments into September,” said McManus.
Some people with emergent and immediate needs are getting case management help over the phone, which isn’t normal practice for the Red Cross, but has become necessary as they triage and prioritize people’s needs and work to prevent homelessness as a result of the wildfire and its lasting impacts.
McManus said there is a way people who are meeting with the Red Cross can help keep the wait times down.
We’re, “asking people not to double book appointmentsm, so, if you’re a family and you have two or three bookings with the Canadian Red Cross to try and reduce your appointment bookings to one, spend the time with us to tell us your story so that we can get other community members into the appointment booking pipeline,” she said.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the response is happening at the fastest possible rate that still allows it to be calculated and comprehensive and allows the Red Cross to meet its mandate of filling gaps in supports without duplicating the resources and supports being provided by other charitable groups, by insurance companies and by the three levels of government that have stepped in with supports.
“We are in the middle of month four, so we are three and a half months in to Alberta’s largets evacuation and Canada’s most significant natural disaster response in our history,” said McManus. “We know that there are great needs emerging on the ground and we’re working alongside of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo as well as the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta. Getting our team on the ground and being able to make sure that they are well-trained, orientated, and ready to go, to be able to be ready to go and make the highest service offering for residents in Fort McMurray, that is our number one priority.”
Of the $299 million raised across Canada for the wildfire response, more than $196 million has been allocated for supports for individuals and families affected by the fire.
McManus said anyone who needs to book an appointment or to discuss immediate housing needs can call 1-888-553-5505, and a team outside the office in Fort McMurray is still accepting walk-in one on ones for those with emergency needs.
