After supporting evacuees in the Edmonton Expo Centre for 19 days, the City of Edmonton will close the centre to evacuees of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Almost 3,100 Albertan evacuees have registered and been offered support by the City of Edmonton since May 5 due to wildfires.
“Good neighbours look after each other and that’s what we did. I hope that the work of our Office of Emergency Management and Emergency Support Response Team has shown Edmontonians both that we are known for our ability to help others, and that we are well prepared to support Edmontonians in an emergency,” said Andre Corbould, city manager.
The city provided about 275 sleeping cots, 10,000 meals and hotels for around 500 families. There were also many supplies and services available to evacuees such as clothing, baby supplies, hygiene products, a prayer room, and shower and laundry services.
The evacuees were also provided with animal care and supplies – on and offsite – by the Animal Care and Control Centre. The evacuees had approximately 1,700 pets and 336 were registered.
“We are pleased that we were able to answer the call and help our neighbours in Drayton Valley and Brazeau County when they needed it most,” said Corbould.
As well as the evacuation centre closing, support services from Red Cross, AHS, insurance companies, Alberta supports and Service Canada will also conclude on-site services at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The City of Edmonton said in a media release that other communities around Alberta have the capacity and resources needed to accommodate evacuees and because of that, the Edmonton reception centre is no longer needed.
The Edmonton reception centre was run by the City of Edmonton’s emergency support response team (ESRT). The ESRT can reactivate the reception centre quickly if the need arises.
Comments