Wildfire evacuees from Leaf Rapids, Man., frustrated by lack of information, supports in Thompson
Residents displaced in Thompson for a week say evacuation, help disorganized
An ad hoc committee of wildfire evacuees struggling to keep up with nearly 400 people stuck in a northern Manitoba city say they're in a crisis and are desperate for information about when they will return home.
The town of Leaf Rapids declared a state of emergency on June 26 after an approximately 10,500-hectare wildfire advanced just eight kilometres east of the community.
Almost 400 residents were transported about 150 kilometres southeast to the city of Thompson, Man., and registered as evacuees, the province previously said. They're being accommodated in hotels in Thompson and have received cheques to cover the costs of food and necessities.
Lianne Anderson, a member of the Leaf Rapids evacuation committee, thought supports would already be set up in Thompson when evacuees got there, especially for those with language barriers and mobility issues.
"But no, we're shuffled in like a herd of cattle, and shuffled back out onto the pasture to fend for ourselves. This is unacceptable," she told CBC News during a Monday interview.
Anderson said residents were ordered to leave their homes in an hour, with little direction of where to go. Elders, mothers and children were dropped off by bus at the Thompson Regional Community Centre at 2 a.m. the next morning and walked to hotels from there, she said.
"They were told where they could stay, and that a cheque would be coming for them, and that was it," she said, adding that some could not cash those cheques because they fled without identification.
People have also been without medication and their pets, said Anderson, and they have had concerns about their homes being vandalized and missing important medical appointments.
"What do you do in moments like that? … Nobody knows what's going on. Nobody even knows how they're going to eat," she said.
"All you had to do was make eye contact with people, and you would just start crying because you could feel the anxiety, the unknowing."
'A state of emergency'
The Manitoba Emergency Management Organization has said the 211 phone service was engaged as a 24/7 contact for evacuees and families looking for information, and it has been directing people to find updates on Leaf Rapids' Facebook page.
An after-hours phone line was also set up for people to connect with Emergency Social Services, which has been working with evacuees who don't have ID to cash their cheques, according to the province.
Anderson is one of seven people who formed the evacuation committee, and phoned the 211 number to access mental health supports for community members. They were given a number to call by 211, but the person who answered the phone could not help them find supports, she said.
She says Leaf Rapids residents are in "a state of emergency" and have not been receiving adequate support or information.
"As a committee, we're not trying to take responsibility for anybody. All we're trying to do is find answers and ask for help anywhere that we can get it."
Cecil Sanderson, another committee member, said people watched the wildfire approach their community for over three weeks before they told to leave.
"Nobody knew what we were doing," he told CBC News on Monday. He drove his family to Thompson and were among the first evacuees to make it there.
Some banks held evacuees' cheques — which vary in amount, depending on family size — for four to five days, according to Sanderson. Big families without personal vehicles could only take a little of their belongings, and he's spoken with some who have worn the same clothes for days.
"We were just dumped here and that's it."
'We're like refugees'
Sanderson said conditions at the hotels have also been poor. He's heard from some families that have been cramped into rooms and made to share one towel, alongside some who were told to keep their garbage in the rooms, which collects and reeks for days.
The committee has been regularly visiting the hotels to keep evacuees updated about the situation and to offer support, which he said has been difficult since many are without access to the internet, cellphones and other devices.
Evacuees will gather at Thompson's Burntwood Hotel on Tuesday at noon, and Sanderson wants nearby communities and organizations to take part.
"Come and stand with us as a whole group."
Committee member Raymond Sandberg said disorganization of wildfire evacuees in Thompson has led to unnecessary distress for many.
"Unfortunately, there's a lot of people who didn't have that opportunity to get ready … they're the ones who are suffering the most being here," Sandberg told CBC News.
Kids don't have much to do in Thompson, he said, and it's not safe for them to roam the city alone, creating stress for parents. Some evacuees have been kicked out of hotels because their children run around the buildings out of boredom, he added.
Businesses in Thompson have stepped up with donations for evacuees, and the committee is doing its best to keep an eye on everyone, but Sandberg said the group can only do so much.
"We're trying to help the people," he said. "This is our community, and we don't want to be looked down upon because we're like refugees."
The information that the committee receives from officials has been little and sporadic, he said. A spreading rumour that evacuees may be able to return to Leaf Rapids on Tuesday points to a lack of legitimate information being offered.
"I'm hoping that the message is true, that we may be going home tomorrow. But if not, we're still going to continue to do what we're doing for our community," said Sandberg.
"We're pulling together and I think we're doing OK."
With files from Brittany Greenslade