Forced to flee their homes, thousands of wildfire evacuees are now in Winnipeg. For the community organizations looking to help them settle, it could be a busy summer ahead. In the West End, staff at the Thrive Community Support Circle have been hard at work. “It’s been hectic and certainly busy,” said executive director Rhonda Elias-Penner. Since wildfire evacuations began, Elias-Penner said her team has been preparing and delivering support for evacuees in Winnipeg – essentials like food and extra clothing. “We also have been collecting dried items that can have water added to them and heated up in a microwave or with a kettle for those who are staying in hotels and places where they don’t have access to a stove or a microwave,” she said. Steve Peters, a community support worker at Thrive, said last week staff made 700 lunches for evacuees and have been fielding lots of calls for donations and support. He doesn’t expect the pace to slow down at all this summer. “They are in need of a lot of stuff, and it’s ongoing stuff with more evacuees coming in all the time.” Approximately 21,000 wildfire evacuees have registered with the Red Cross, some arriving in Winnipeg carrying garbage bags full of whatever belongings they could fit inside. “We obviously want everyone to go back as soon as they can, but we want to make sure that it’s safe to do so,” Kristen Hayward, assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said Monday. “At this time, I wouldn’t want to predict when that might.” With the potential of a lengthy stay ahead of evacuees, several community support groups are gearing up for a busier-than-normal summer. At the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre, staff are heading to the city’s evacuation shelters to meet with evacuees. “People had to come under very extenuating circumstances with very little with them, including community,” said Melissa Chung-Mowat, the centre’s executive director. That’s why her staff are trying to let them know about the different supports and resources available here in the city. “We really want to just offer support where we can,” she said.
