Calgary welcomes evacuees from N.W.T.
Posted Aug 18, 2023 10:34 am.
Last Updated Aug 18, 2023 10:40 am.
A reception centre has been opened at the Calgary International Airport, as wildfire evacuees fleeing the Northwest Territories by plane have been directed to the city of Calgary, with the earliest flight arriving late Thursday afternoon.
“There are five flights planned to arrive today. Accommodation will be provided by various hotels,” Calgary’s director of emergency management Iain Bushell said at a press briefing on Thursday. “For those who drive to Calgary or arrive by other means, there will also be a reception centre at the Westin Calgary Airport will be open this afternoon after 2p.m.”
The City of Calgary is prepared to welcome up to 5,000 evacuees. And, although they don’t know how many evacuees are on the flights, when they arrive, they will be met by someone right away to assess their needs; adding that no one who arrives will be turned away.
Read more: Calgary to take in thousands of NWT wildfire evacuees
“There’s just a relief to feel safe and to be looked after, because you kind of felt like you didn’t know what to do and who to turn to,” said Beatrice Bernhardt, who was one of the first to arrive in Calgary; coming in on one of the only commercial flights from Yellowknife.
“The lineup for the flight was long so my husband and I opted to pay for a ticket to get here,” she said.
Calgary is sending up support to the Northwest Territories through Canada Task Force 2. Ten people specializing in disaster response are heading up to the territory to provide command support, according to the city.
Calgarians looking to help out the evacuees are asked to look at the territory’s government website.
“Please do not bring donations to any of the reception centres in Calgary,” Bushell said Thursday. “We are not set up to take those donations and we are not set up to get those directly to those that need them.”
A local animal shelter, Parachutes for Pets, is helping any animals that are arriving on the charter flights, offering supplies and vet care to arrivals, enacting a 24/7 emergency care system to ensure all pets are cared for.
