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NRRM and Fort Nelson First Nations to recind evacuation order Monday

“I’m relieved and optimistic, a little bit sad, but mostly I’m happy everyone’s getting the opportunity to come home,” Northern Rockies Regional Municipality’s Mayor Rob Fraser said when he announced on Facebook that the evacuation order will be lifted at 8 a.m. Monday, May 27. The community will remain under an evacuation alert as long as there is fire activity in the area.

Seventeen days ago, the roughly 4,000 residents of NRRM and Fort Nelson First Nations were ordered to evacuate ahead of the Parker Lake wildfire which was threatening their communities. Through valiant efforts by the BC Wildfire Service, as well as area fire departments which sent trucks and personnel north to assist in the efforts, the fire was kept out of the community.

Unfortunately, several structures outside the town proper were damaged, which Fraser said makes him sad. He asked everyone to show compassion for those who’ve experienced a loss and added that people with damaged properties may find a prohibited entry order on their properties, which will remain until they can be secured and made safe.

Fraser warns that traffic on the highway will be heavy, but there will be an increased RCMP presence from Fort St. John to Fort Nelson. He suggested that residents top up their fuel and bring a few days’ worth of food with them, because although gas stations and grocery stores will be open, there may be a shortage of supplies, especially essentials.

There will be a resiliency centre set up in Fort Nelson and the Recreation Centre Community Hall, and residents are asked to check in there when they return to pick up Red Cross cleaning kits, meet with insurance representatives, and to access any other services they may need such as counselling, EI support and document replacement.

For those residents who evacuated via bus and would like to return home that way, the buses will head home on Tuesday, May 28 – if you have not yet registered to take the bus home, Fraser says to call 250-775-0933.

When residents return to the community, Fraser noted at the May 24 Re-entry Recovery Residents’ Meeting in Taylor that even if their properties were not damaged, and those in the town proper remain unscathed, there will be a lot of clean-up for everyone, especially from fridges and freezers, more so in areas where the power was out.

“The power was out from the Radar Road intersection with the Old Alaska Highway out to 312,” Fraser said. “Natural gas was out from the Rec Centre to 312 along the Old Alaska Highway, out Pioneer Way and Radar Road.”

If the gas was shut off at the meter, residents will find a red tag with a phone number on their door. Fraser says to call the number and Fortis will come out, check the appliances and relight the pilot lights.

He added that BC Hydro is working on compiling a list of properties where the power was out, so the municipality can let residents know.

“It becomes important when it comes to what’s in your fridges and freezers,” he said.

Because of the anticipated amount of food spoilage, the municipality is putting on extra garbage collection runs, as the NRRM bins are expected to fill up quickly.

Superintendent of Schools for SD81, Mark Theobald reassured residents at Friday’s meeting that once they are cleared to return home, school will resume, possibly as early as Thursday, May 30. EOC staff believe it’s safe for schools to be open during an evacuation alert.

Janitorial staff returned to the district under special permits to make sure the schools are clean and safe to reopen as soon as possible.

“We’ll be sticking to the District calendar,” Theobald said. Students are still on track for graduation, and no one will be losing any courses.

Fort Nelson General Hospital will take a little longer than the schools to get back to normal operations, according to Northern Health, but the emergency department will reopen on Monday.

On May 10, eleven patients and multi-level care residents were safely evacuated from Fort Nelson and relocated to other facilities in northeastern BC. In recent days, Northern Health has been working with NRRM, and BC Emergency Health Services to plan a phased resumption of services, much like the municipality has.

The first of the services to return is the emergency department, with limited laboratory and medical imaging supports. As equipment testing, inspections and restarting systems takes place, other hospital departments will resume operations.

As staff and resources return to the community, Northern Health says additional areas of the hospital will re-start, including public health and community services like home support and the multi-level care unit. In the meantime, residents of the hospital will continue to be cared for at Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek.

Returning residents are asked to be aware that although the ER will open tomorrow, people requiring admission for inpatient care will be temporarily transferred to other hospitals in the northeast and that medical imaging and laboratory services won’t be available.

Fort Nelson First Nation’s Chief Sharleen Gale expressed her gratitude for everything the host communities have done for the residents of NRRM and Fort Nelson First Nations during the past 17 days.

“I can’t thank the host communities enough for everything they’ve done for us, planning activities, all the people that provided different donations,” she said at Friday’s meeting at the Taylor Community Hall.

“We’re looking forward to being home, in our community.”