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Alberta Premier Says It Could Be Weeks Before Evacuees Can Return Home

Saint John, NB, Canada / Country 94
News
May 6, 2016 | 5:13 AM
Alberta Premier Says It Could Be Weeks Before Evacuees Can Return Home


As the fires continue to burn in Alberta, plans are being put into place to support the evacuees financially, while they wait.

That’s all they can do at this point.  Chad Morrison with Alberta Wildfire confirmed that the size of the wildfire still stands at 85, 000 hectares and there are 41 still ongoing.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley briefed the media last night, letting them know that firefighters are still fighting a very dangerous wildfire and residents cannot return to their neighbourhoods just yet.

She says, ” I must be very direct and clear about this.  It is apparent that the damage to Fort McMurray is extensive and the city is not safe for residents at this time.  Once the immediate threat is passed, we will still need to spend as much time as it takes to assess the infrastructure that is vital to support the community safely.  It is simply not possible or responsible to speculate on a time, when citizens will be able to return.”

Support has been overwhelming to this point.  Premier Notley notes, “Communities, individual Albertans and businesses from across the province and across the country have opened up their homes, their facilities and their hearts to those whose lives have been devastated by this fire.  I am immensely proud of ordinary peoples extraordinary response to this crisis.”

Plans are being put into place in the days to come to help evacuees financially.  

Unfortunately, some of them will be returning to their community to the spot where their house once stood.

That includes the family that Brittany Fleming was living with for work.  We spoke to the PEI woman earlier this week, and she found out yesterday that everything is gone.

At this point, she says she doesn’t know what she plans to do.

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