Red Cross wildfire fund flush with cash, still helping victims of 2017 B.C. wildfires
B.C. Fires Appeal Fund has $43 million yet to be handed out
Nearly a year after wildfires ravaged the Interior of British Columbia, the Canadian Red Cross says it still has approximately $43 million in its emergency fund to help out those who may need it.
According to numbers released Tuesday, 74 per cent, or almost $120 million of the $162.2 million in the B.C. Fires Appeal Fund has been committed or handed out.
Kimberly Nemrava of the Canadian Red Cross says her organization is prepared to offer assistance to those who haven't yet asked for it or additional aid to those who already have.
"Recovery from a disaster can take years and individuals and businesses will be impacted in different ways," she said.
So far, the Red Cross has spent or committed:
- $62.1 million to individuals and families.
- $15.5 million to community groups.
- $40.5 million to small businesses, not-for-profits and First Nations.
Nemrava said Red Cross caseworkers will continue to meet with those who are still trying to recover from the impacts of the 2017 wildfires.
The 2017 wildfires were the largest on record, scorching more than 1.2 million hectares of land in B.C. and forcing 65,000 people from their homes.