Hearty thanks and congratulations to municipal officials and volunteers in Calling Lake and Athabasca for their excellent work last week assisting evacuees impacted by the Wabasca wildfire.
And not to take a single thing away from Athabasca’s efforts — its emergency response plan worked almost flawlessly, but they had the experience of the 2011 Slave Lake evacuation to draw from — Calling Lake was truly the star of the show, as the tiny hamlet saw its population grow exponentially in the space of less than three days.
Much like the Athabasca experience four years ago, Calling Lake’s initial response was more instinctive than anything: find out what the need is, and fill it. Delegation and organization will follow soon enough.
Community members in Calling Lake stepped up in a big way. In the early stages of the reception centre’s operations, close to 100 people were on hand, ready and willing to help.
Many people, especially those outside the region, were astonished by the level of volunteer support Calling Lake provided, just as they were by Athabasca’s response four years ago. While it’s impressive, no doubt, those of us who live here know it’s not surprising. Deep down, we all realize wildfire can just as easily affect us as it did our neighbours.
Calling Lake’s emergency response efforts quickly galvanized, and before long they had things so organized that officials had to ask concerned Albertans to pump the brakes on their offers of donations. How comforting is it, in time of crisis, to hear officials say with confidence, “It’s OK, we’ve got this”?
Fortunately, the outcome of the Wabasca wildfire was much less severe and considerably shorter in duration than the Slave Lake experience. All accounts indicate no damage to any property in Wabasca or the surrounding Bigstone Cree Nation reserves.
But had the ordeal gone longer, or the impact been more devastating, it’s good to know that Calling Lake can join Athabasca in the ranks of communities that will step and respond, no matter how great the need.
