MONTREAL — For the tens of thousands who have been evacuated and displaced by the wildfires raging in Northern Alberta, the road to normality is going to be a long and daunting one. But as Canadians do when faced with tragedy, they are coming together to alleviate the burden in any way they can.
“There’s been a tremendous wave of solidarity across the country,” said Stephanie Picard, spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross in Quebec. “We want to make sure that we’re responding to the volume of calls that are coming in to make donations.”
READ MORE: Lac-Mégantic residents donate money for Fort McMurray fire victims
In response to the public’s generosity, the Red Cross has opened an emergency call centre at its offices in Nun’s Island to help accommodate the overwhelming amount of calls the organization has been receiving.
“A lot of giving definitely,” said Mike Carbone, one of the volunteers working the phones at the temporary call center. “The amounts are quite nice. But I think it’s just the efforts that people want to do.”
Since eight o’clock Saturday morning, a team of twelve volunteers has been busy at work, trying to keep up with the influx of callers eager to donate.
“They don’t like waiting on the phone because they’re in a hurry to help,” said Carbone. “And you see with just the volumes of calls there’s a lot of people that want to help.”
That’s good news for the Red Cross, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday that the Canadian government will match every donation made by individuals to the organization.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray fire: Ottawa to match donations to Red Cross
With fires still burning, the thought of rebuilding Fort McMurray is still a distant one.
“The needs are enormous,” said Picard. “Some communities have lost up to 80 per cent of houses. So there are people who have lost everything, and it’s going to be a long road to get back to their community and be able to take up a semblance of normal life.”
For now, the funds raised by the Red Cross are going to meeting the victims most immediate and basic needs.
“Of course providing first and foremost comfort,” said Picard. “People are going through a really difficult time. And responding to emergency needs. So we’re talking about emergency shelter of course, but also food, hygiene products, water, etc. Our volunteers are there to provide all that.”
The Montreal call centre has no deadline, and will continue to operate as long as the donations keep coming in.
Evacuees are asked to confirm their registration with the Red Cross by 11:59 p.m. Monday.
Comments