Professor Tara McGee from the University of Alberta conducted a survey to learn more about the experiences residents faced as they evacuated in May.
The survey was not randomly distributed, so it does not represent all experiences, it provides insight into the experiences of 447 evacuees.
On May 3rd, most participants of the survey were either at work, 43%, or at home 42%. They credit three main ways that they found out they had to evacuate, what they could see, information on the radio and from a family member.
A majority, 59%, said they had 30 minutes or less to prepare to leave, including 12% who had to leave immediately.
Fifty-three per cent of respondents said they experienced problems leaving, including traffic, running out of gas, being unsure of which way to go on Highway 63, being separated from family or friends and not having enough food or water.
Although, 70% stated they had a positive evacuation experience, with help from many sources.
When asked what help they had received during the evacuation, one survey respondent said, “Too many to list. It was unbelievable… the kindness was so humbling.”
While financial assistance from the Government of Alberta, The Canadian Red Cross and other organizations were appreciated, some survey respondents reported trouble accessing funds from The Red Cross.
Others were frustrated by the process to return to home, or were waiting for news about rebuilding.
At the time of this survey more than half of residents had already returned home and most of those who planned to return would either return to their homes or move to another home.
Further analysis of this survey will be completed in the coming months and a follow-up study is planned.
