Residents of fire-ravaged Okanagan frustrated by lack of information on fate of their homes

Residents of fire-ravaged neighbourhoods along the west shore of Okanagan Lake are raising complaints about a lack of post-disaster communication from emergency officials.

"We are getting no information. The [Regional District of Central Okanagan] is not providing us with any information ... the wildfire service is not giving us any sort of ETA [to return]," Sonya Doogin told CBC Daybreak South host Chris Walker.

"We need some sort of facts like to know, OK, is it going to be a month or is it going to be two months? Is it going to be two weeks? We need some information to be able to plan our lives."

Doogin has learned her home was one of 78 properties destroyed or damaged when the White Rock Lake fire swept through Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates almost two weeks ago. 

But she hasn't been able to return, recover any salvageable possessions, or start documenting damage for insurance claims.

Doogin complains she can't even plan a school year for her children without a usable address.

An evacuation order remains in place for more than 1,300 properties in the region.

"I'm not sure what's making it so incredibly dangerous there that they can't go home for at least an hour or two to check on their home," Doogin said. 

Wayne Carson, the Okanagan West director for the Regional District of Central Okanagan, whose home is in evacuated Killiney Beach, says it's the main complaint he hears from residents.

"Most of us have been out of our homes for three weeks and more now.  I've been requesting more information and I thought I had an agreement with the regional district for a minimum of three [updates] a day, and we're probably lucky to get two. It needs to be more and more complete," he said.

Carson says updates were provided six to seven times a day during the 2003 Okanagan Mountain fire.

He believes the lack of communication rests with the B.C. Wildfire Service and provincial emergency officials. 

"I understand the safety concerns," said Carson, a retired area fire chief. "But, we need to get back."

B.C. Wildfire Service defends response

Many area evacuation alerts and orders have been lifted, and emergency officials have begun limited escorted tours of some streets, as conditions allow.

B.C. Hydro and Telus crews are already repairing lines in some areas. 

Before a scheduled media tour on Tuesday, officials with the Regional District of Central Okanagan, could not provide a timeline for residents' return.

"Lots of frustration and it's completely understandable," said Hanna Swift, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service in Vernon. "It's not easy and it's not something that B.C. Wildfire Service takes lightly, but it is for safety reasons."

Swift reiterated the difficult and unpredictable nature of the still out-of-control White Rock Lake Fire and the scope of this year's fire season, which as of August, is the third worst on record in B.C. 

In conversation with Daybreak South's Chris Walker, Swift said the BCWS will complete reviews of all operations, including communications, as the season winds down.