A helicopter equipped to respond to wildfires flies past homes in the Wilden neighbourhood near Knox Mountain after RCMP officers enforced a new evacuation order, in Kelowna, B.C., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
August 23, 2023 - 11:46 AM
Later today, the thousands of people evacuated due to the McDougall Creek Wildfire in and around West Kelowna will be able to find out that status of their homes.
That information will be posted online today, Aug. 23, to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre website. People will be able to type in their addresses and learn whether their homes are undamaged, partially damaged or destroyed.
“In a perfect world our preference, without question, would be to personally call every single homeowner and be with them when they receive what is probably the worst news they have ever received,” Sally Ginter, CAO of the Regional District of Central Okanagan, said during a news conference this morning, Aug. 23. “That is our preference but today we live with social media and we have photos and information that is flying around faster than we can even begin to think that we can manage.”
She was watching a newscast this morning when a woman, on camera, learned their house was gone.
“The reason we’re doing this website isn’t because we don’t care,” Ginter said. “The reason we’re doing this website is because we do, because we know this is the information that homeowners want to know. We will support them after the fact. We have the resources in place. We will do everything we can, but we also know the number one burning question that they have is: ‘Do I have a home?’”
The website is being tested and should be up and running this afternoon. Those with damaged or destroyed property will be asked to fill out an online form to provide emergency response staff information. Staff will follow up by contacting them for further discussions.
When it’s safe, property owners will be taken out to their properties.
For those who have not suffered damage or loss, they still need to keep an eye on the website to find out when their evacuation orders have been downgraded to alerts and they are able to safely return home.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue chief Jason Brolund noted there's a wide variety of things that have to be assessed before people can go back in.
Those range from clearing branches, rocks and other debris off roads, making sure fires are out in the neighbourhoods, water, power and natural gas are restored and, even, that garbage can be collected on a regular basis.
A total of 174 properties were damaged in West Kelowna, on Westbank First Nation and the unincorporated area to the north by the McDougal Creek Wildfire.
But, officials stressed, that is the number of impacted properties and not structures.
Some properties were damaged but the homes were not necessarily destroyed.
Others, such as Lake Okanagan Resort, is one property but has 195 units, North Westside Fire Rescue Chief Ross Kotscherofski said.
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