Fort Mac Wildfire Thread

[Street Pharmacist]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle30025068/

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle30025068/

Look, I’m not inherently against the Red Cross. If they’ve improved since 2013, great. And, it’s great to see people across the country unite in support of Fort Mac. Hey, I’m super happy people are donating, especially those in the eastern provinces. I fully sympathize with everyone in Fort Mac. It’s such a vibrant place and no one deserves to lose their home.

I don’t think the Red Cross does nothing, per se; however, they don’t reach everyone who needs help. They missed me completely. However, local charities greatly helped me, and I think it’d be more effective for us to donate to local charities instead.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle30025068/

The Red Cross typically funnels some money to other groups – it reported that it gave 26 per cent of contributions to local organizations after the southern Alberta flooding – but the donation totals are still wildly tilted toward a single organization.

I find that interesting and of a concern.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Dion

The Red Cross typically funnels some money to other groups – it reported that it gave 26 per cent of contributions to local organizations after the southern Alberta flooding – but the donation totals are still wildly tilted toward a single organization.

I find that interesting and of a concern.

I do too.

Why does the Red Cross have the monopoly on disaster relief efforts? Everywhere I go, I see Red Cross, Red Cross, Red Cross, but why don’t I ever see any other groups?

[TheScorpion]

I also find this curious:

After the Lac-Mégantic train explosion in 2013, the Red Cross issued a two-month update report saying it distributed just $300,000 on an emergency basis to local residents in the first month after the disaster

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I do too.

Why does the Red Cross have the monopoly on disaster relief efforts? Everywhere I go, I see Red Cross, Red Cross, Red Cross, but why don’t I ever see any other groups?

Globalmedic, which is a Canadian based organization who helps out in almost every disaster in the world, was also part of the initial effort.

I assume anyone who has issue with The Red Cross has earmarked a portion of their contribution to local organisations.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Dion

What if the insurance company fails to fulfill their obligations? I had neighbour a few doors down in 2013 that got sewer back up like me but had their claim rejected. He put a huge sign on his garage door to let everyone know. In fact we had numerous cases like that in High River. It was local vounteers and those from Calgary that helped people clean out their basements and in some cases rebuild. These volunteers could have done a far better job if they had some money and resources to help them out. It may not have been the responsibility of the Red Cross to help them in that manner but the money was sorely lacking.

Then it is an issue with the insurance company and the coverage that the individual possessed. There is no relief organization that will be able to support an individual rebuilding their house after a massive destructive event. What they can do is help community initiatives and disaster response. After that those affected need to rely on their insurance and/or the government for assistance.

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Why not try and raise funds for, I don't know, the Calgary Food Bank?

With a wild fire in Fort McMurray driving Fort McMurray residents out and eventually having to go back to Fort McMurray, your suggestion, instead of donating to the Wood Buffalo Food bank which runs the Fort McMurray location, is to donate to the Calgary Food Bank?

Brilliant!

did you even bother to open the link I posted? They arent franchises as they're independently run and have their own board members. While there's nothing wrong with helping out the Calgary Food Bank, the intention of this thread is to help residents and businesses in Fort Mac. The Wood Buffalo Food bank is one of many local charities in the area

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

It just seems like a bit of a strange thing to put funds towards, considering the fact that evacuees (who are living in Calgary and Edmonton) would be relying on the Calgary and Edmonton food banks a heck of a lot more than they would on the Fort McMurray food bank... a place in which they have no home to return to.

If you are looking for a way of helping the people who lost their homes in Fort McMurray it would be advisable to then look at where they are staying when they are evacuated. People will take time to get back on their feet after being away for so long but I really don't know if the food bank up there is the best use of donations for those hardest hit.

Plus maybe ensuring that money goes towards local causes as well isn't such a bad thing.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Then it is an issue with the insurance company and the coverage that the individual possessed. There is no relief organization that will be able to support an individual rebuilding their house after a massive destructive event. What they can do is help community initiatives and disaster response. After that those affected need to rely on their insurance and/or the government for assistance.

There were relief organizations going around and helping residents as best they could with getting their homes rebuilt. Trades people and volunteers working with any materials they could scrounge up. And don't get me started on the govt's DRP (Dead Redford Promises) program. They were an absolute joke back then and left many people without the help they needed.

The residents that had clams denied had the coverage they needed. It often came down to the adjuster you had. For example Intact Insurace had a bad reputation after the flood yet for whatever reason my claim was accepted. She didn't want to test the water for sewer backup and said she could smell it. Meanwhile my neighbour a few doors down was denied while having the same coverage as me. It was the same with many other homeowners in High River. The wrong assumtion is being made that all insurance companies will honour their claims.

My point is not everything is going to run smoothly and there are going to be people that need help. That is why I have concerns about not enough money going to individual charity organizations and I suspect that was why Danielle Smith raised her concerns also. She was a resident of High River also and witnessed what was going on.

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

It just seems like a bit of a strange thing to put funds towards, considering the fact that evacuees (who are living in Calgary and Edmonton) would be relying on the Calgary and Edmonton food banks a heck of a lot more than they would on the Fort McMurray food bank... a place in which they have no home to return to.

If you are looking for a way of helping the people who lost their homes in Fort McMurray it would be advisable to then look at where they are staying when they are evacuated. People will take time to get back on their feet after being away for so long but I really don't know if the food bank up there is the best use of donations for those hardest hit.

Plus maybe ensuring that money goes towards local causes as well isn't such a bad thing.

At the very least you should've recommended Edmonton's Food Bank as a majority of them are out there than in Calgary. Even so, there are many more staying in neighbouring areas around Fort Mac. No, they arent relying on food from the Calgary and Edmonton Food bank. If you've ever been to the food bank, it's not a drop in. You have to go through an interview process where you have to qualify to receive their food. If there is a possibility of some of that food going towards Fort Mac residence, they havent indicated in the most obvious place, their website. While the Calgary food bank is accepting donations for those who are affected, they are still shipping those goods up north to the Wood Buffalo Food Bank.

They even suggested on the Calgary Food Bank's site to donate to the Wood Buffalo Food Bank and have provided a link too

The Wood Buffalo food bank is a local cause. Like surrounding businesses and charities, the on site warehouse have also experienced losses. Food storage, equipment, vehicles, even their brick and mortar building itself may need to be replaced. Donations would benefit them in those areas too.

I'm looking at helping them rebuild and fulfill repairs in the long run, not just food donations that would help for the next couple of weeks. With the accumulating layoffs in the oilfield from the past year, they were already in bad shape. They've been running on fumes trying to feed Fort Mac residents.

Here's a story that Global ran on them:

http://globalnews.ca/news/2700915/fo...rsonal-losses/

[Dion]

When Helping Hurts: Why You Shouldn’t Donate Physical Goods During A Disaster

Just give money

Unfortunately, in recent years Alberta has seen it’s fair share of disasters. In 2011 a wildfire in northern Alberta forced the evacuation of Slave Lake, Alberta and dozens of smaller communities. In true Canadian fashion the support was enormous and donations started pouring in, but what happened next could surprise you.

“They tried to give the excess donations to local charities, but none would take them. They eventually gave them to a local waste collection company to hand out to local groups. But there were so few takers that the company eventually dropped them off at a landfill.”

During the Slave Lake fire response many good willed organizations and trucking companies loaded up truck after truck with donated goods to be delivered to the community, only to find out there is nowhere to take them. If Calgary was overwhelmed with goods 550km away from Slave Lake, you can imagine the impact on the community itself. No one wants to make the decision to throw away a communities good will.

https://edwardmcintyre.com/2016/05/0...ing-a-disater/

Edward McIntyre, a blogger who has volunteered to help in many disasters in the province, recently wrote a blog post which got hundreds of thousands of hits.

"I was involved in the Slave Lake fires and the Calgary floods and various other smaller disasters that have happened here in Alberta," McIntyre told CBC's alberta@noon on Sunday.

He says often the supply of donations, however well intentioned, is disconnected from the actual need.

"The sheer volume of goods that arrive is astronomical," McIntyre said.

"The reality is in a fire like this when we have lost 1,600 structures, people aren't going to have a place to put a lot these household items for … it could be two years from now."

McIntyre says generosity is admirable but sometimes misplaced.

"The reality is right now, those [physical donations] aren't really needed. They definitely will be in the future but the sheer volume of goods we collect from all of the communities just outweighs the need."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...-mac-1.3572974

[chummer]

I started with with Darby Allen in 92 with Calgary Fire. Great guy, good on em.

[undercoverbrother]

http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xI...42C499FF0DE4CF

Update:

Current situation
The fire remains out of control. It is estimated to cover 251,000 hectares.
In order to reduce fuel buildup and prevent the spread of wildfires, fire operations in the form of a back burn are occurring along the west side of Highway 63. This is happening about 50 kilometres north of Mariana Lake to the Highway 881/63 junction.
There were nine new fire starts over the past 24 hours. A total of 15 wildfires are burning, with two out of control.
There are 2,277 firefighters, 147 helicopters, 280 pieces of heavy equipment and 29 air tankers currently battling the fires.
ATCO has about 300 workers in Fort McMurray, including teams of water specialists working with the municipality’s water experts to assess damage.
Fort McMurray, Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates and Fort McMurray First Nation remain under a mandatory evacuation order. Fort McKay First Nation is under a recommended evacuation order.

Update on plans for re-entry

The 2016 Wildfire Recovery Task Force is meeting regularly to plan re-entry into affected communities.
We expect to be able to share the re-entry plan within 10 days, and the plan will answer most questions about timing.
Five things need to be in place for re-entry:
Wildfire is no longer an imminent threat to the community
Critical infrastructure is repaired to provide basic service
Essential services, such as fire, EMS, police and health care are restored to a basic level
Hazardous areas are secure. There are 100 truckloads of fencing being sent to Fort McMurray.
Local government is re-established

Yeah we are a long way off still.

[Fuzz]

Satellite Update:

Spoiler!

Anything older than 7 days doesn't show, but you can imagine most of the central area burned. There are still plenty of new red hot spots.

Spoiler!

Lots of fires still going around Fort St John.

Spoiler!

The new fire at Fox Creek.

[undercoverbrother]

https://cdn.albertamapservices.ca/Fo...r=FortMcMurray

Very good map from the Province.

[Locke]

251,000 Hectares?

That is INSANE.

[Sluggo]

Roughly a 50X50 km square imagine if Calgary and all the land bounded by Airdrie, Okotoks, Cochrane, Chestermere, and all the land halfway to Strathmore burned.

[undercoverbrother]

#ymmfire UPDATE: Mandatory evacuation order has been expanded to include ALL CAMPS north of Fort McMurray. More to come... #ymm #yeg May 16/16 4:30 PM MST


Sorry don't know how to post tweets, just saw this.


RMWBVerified account ‏@RMWoodBuffalo 5m5 minutes ago
RMWB Retweeted AB Emergencyalert
All camps north of Fort McMurray up to and incl Ruth Lake are being evacuated. #ymm #ymmfire

http://emergencyalert.alberta.ca/ale...6/05/3775.html

Description:
The Wildfire North of Fort McMurray is expanding and growing in size and the Mandatory Evacuation for Fort McMurray has been extended north. All Camps North of Fort McMurray up to and including the Ruth Lake Camp are to evacuate, and all camps and production facilities requiring the use of the Aostra Road are to evacuate.

[nik-]

from what account?