Construction companies are bracing for a boom as home and business owners in Fort McMurray look to the spring season as a time to rebuild.
Mike and Rhonda Bennett are just settling into a new place, a year after a massive wildfire devastated the community.
The couple beat the spring rush because they knew their house in Wood Buffalo was gone the day they escaped.
“By about 7 o’clock that evening the houses were on fire so only about three, four hours after we left, she was gone,” Mike said.
“We had a quite a bit of green area behind us that is now gone. You know the green belt we had — it was nice to have but it was actually probably what killed our houses was the green belt.”
They were speaking to a local builder before people were even allowed back into the community and their house was ready just a few weeks ago.
He said the most frustrating part of rebuilding was the first steps.
“It’s time consuming, seemed to be slow. From talking to the contractor, permits that used to take a few days were taking weeks to get, and then getting inspections,” Mike said.
Now, the couple has moved into an almost replica of the home they lived in for 11 years.
He said it’s been stressful, and hectic but at least his son found a way to pull some laughs out of the disaster.
“Before he said, ‘what do I get my parents for Christmas when they have everything they need?’ and now (he’s) gone to ‘what do I get my parents for Christmas who have nothing?’,” Mike said.
Rhonda said sometimes it takes a disaster to bring people together, and it feels more like a community now.
“I find people have more patience. They’re more … considerate,” she said.
