Nova Scotia offers Alberta help, Red Cross on standby

HALIFAX – As many from the East Coast watch a wildfire envelope an area around Fort McMurray, Alta., Nova Scotia’s Red Cross is on standby to help their counterparts out west.

The city of 80,000 was forced to evacuate Tuesday night as officials said the worst is yet to come from the wildfire that’s been burning since Sunday, after a wind shift prompted the fire to spread rapidly late Tuesday.

Many in Nova Scotia, including News 95.7 Traffic Reporter Ferne Wynnyk, have lived in the Fort McMurray area in the past, or have friends and family who have moved there for work.

Wynnyk said after a movie in Halifax Tuesday night, she was glued to social media when she returned home, where she was met with pictures of her former home up in flames.

“I couldn’t stay off of Facebook or social media in any way, there’s disastrous pictures,” Wynnyk said.

“My house that I used to live in was up in flames…seeing that is definitely surreal. I feel lucky to be back here, but I feel like I should be there to support friends and family and the community, because they really need our support right now.”

Wynnyk said she returned to Halifax only recently after spending three years living there and has been anxiously awaiting more information.

Premier Stephen McNeil said Wednesday that Nova Scotia has reached out through the proper channels to figure out what help our province can provide to Fort McMurray, acknowledging that many Nova Scotian’s either have — or know someone who has gone to Fort McMurray for work.

“We’ve reached out through our emergency measures organization and our natural resources department to identify what the Alberta government would require in support from us. Obviously it’s an active situation still happening and we’re working hard, and some of this is being coordinated on a national level when it comes to firefighters — but we’ve offered all the support we have as a province,” McNeil told the Sheldon MacLeod show Wednesday.

Nova Scotia’s chapter of the Canadian Red Cross is also awaiting more information from the area, as crews remain on standby but expect an ask for help from their Alberta counterparts sometime on Wednesday.

Dan Bedell with Nova Scotia’s Red Cross said crews in the province have plenty of experience helping those in need in other parts of the country, as they also provided aid during previous wildfires in Slave Lake, Alta. and in Saskatchewan.

Bedell said the group is essentially waiting by the phone for word that their assistance is needed and then it will be a matter of getting things co-ordinated.

“The fire is still moving, so it’s not like there couldn’t be additional evacuations,” Bedell said. “Everyone hears about Fort McMurray, but we at least 12 communities that have been evacuated … even that number could shift as the day goes on.”

Officials had said on Tuesday that the blaze was expected to be under control by the end of the day, but warned residents to be prepared to leave the area at a moment’s notice, regardless.

When the evacuation order was put in place Tuesday, thousands attempted to flee on Highway 63 south to Edmonton, but many were left stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, with many vehicles also running out of fuel along the Highway.

Dry weather and high winds are expected to make conditions worse Wednesday, as officials expect the blaze to spread further.

A number of surrounding communities and camps usually used to house oilsands workers have opened up their doors for evacuees and Fort McMurray residents.