With dozens of central Okanagan homes being asked to evacuate due to wildfires, Emergency Support Services (ESS) has set up a reception centre at Lakeview Heights Baptist Church in West Kelowna.
Catherine Williams is the ESS director for the Central Okanagan Regional District. She is asking all those forced out of their homes to visit the centre and register, whether they need support or not.
“It is really important,” she said. “Even if they don’t need any help, because if are people looking for them, we will know where they are.”
Williams and her team are offering essential services to evacuees, including shelter.
“At this present time, we have hotel rooms available, so the hotels are stepping up as they always do. They’re really marvelous,” Williams said. “And then we give them either grocery vouchers or restaurant vouchers and clothing as well if they didn’t have time to pack.”
George Melville and his wife Sylvia left their home last night before the formal evacuation notice. They spent the night in a hotel as a precaution and came in to the ESS reception centre to register this morning.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do,” Melville said. “Apparently the evacuation order is still in effect and so we’ve just checked in here to let everybody know that we’re OK.”
Grant Endres also registered at the centre, looking for some assistance.
“Right now I’ve got a voucher for people who got evacuated out of the Highway 97 area, so I’m hoping that I get a little bit of support here because we don’t have a place to stay tonight if we stay on evacuation,” Endres said.
The Lakeview Heights Baptist Church is located at 2630 Alhambra Drive in West Kelowna.
For more information on Emergency Support Services, please visit the Regional District of Central Okanagan website.
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