In the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray, Alberta, scenes of utter devastation following days of wildfires. That being said, over 80,000 residents are still displaced, along with their pets.
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The Canadian Red Cross has collected over $60 million to help the people of Fort McMurray but since last week, people in Southern Ontario have been wanting to do more than just donate money.
“All Canadians say congratulations to the courageous first responders who have been there to do extraordinary work in Fort McMurray”, Trudeau said in the House of Commons. Along with equipment, they’ve volunteered to truck donations to Northern Alberta.
Bebie Hortaleza, who has opened up her home for Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees, sings at the Word of Faith Family Church in Lac la Biche, Canada, Sunday, May 8, 2016. The forest surrounding the road into town was still smoldering and there were abandoned cars. Had they failed to stop it there, the fire would have destroyed the downtown district, he said.But other neighborhoods were not spared.
Notley said that getting oil production back on line will both stabilize the province’s economy and lift the spirits of many of those affected by the devastating fire.
But there is no electricity, gas, or drinkable water which means people who have been in evacuation centers for almost a week won’t be going home anytime soon.
“We are starting to move into that second phase of securing the site and assessing the site”, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said. “We put her in a chair and said, ‘could you take care of that for us please?’ and seven days later, she’s still here and still working hard”.
“This is going to be a long term endeavor because at the moment there is no power and gas, no palatable water supply”.
Alberta’s oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Ms Notley added that it is still not safe for residents to enter the city without an escort.
As an example of how the situation has improved, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will visit Fort McMurray this Friday.
No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire itself, but two people died in a traffic accident during the evacuation.
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Most of the people who work those oil jobs come from Fort McMurray, and are now without home, and work. Notley said there will be a meeting Tuesday with the energy industry to discuss the state of the facilities and the impact on operations. They noted the complete evacuation of personnel and of the city could point to a more gradual recovery.
