Emergency 36

When a disaster like wildfires hits, it puts a lot of stress on those who are impacted. Those who live through crisis situations are very likely to experience extreme stress, and it’s important to remember that this reaction is entirely normal. Recovering from these feelings can take a long time but there are some ways that may help you cope.

From damaged and lost property, to the emotional impact of being displaced, to images of destroyed areas and overwhelming uncertainty– disasters and emergencies like the Alberta wildfires take a big toll on us.  Kids and teens can be especially vulnerable during disasters and in the days that follow. Here are some ways to help the kids in your life following the Alberta wildfires.

Deploying to assist the Canadian Red Cross response to the Alberta wildfires wasn’t an option for American Red Cross volunteer Louise Vande Wiele, she had to be there. Vande Wiele, a native Canadian, said she practically begged her Heart of Tennessee Red Cross chapter to put her on the list to deploy.

Until visitors opened the curtains on his hospital window, Ryan Cyr had no idea advancing wildfires had triggered the evacuation of Fort McMurray. A quadriplegic recovering from recent surgery, Cyr was startled to see fire and smoke billowing over a neighbourhood just across the highway from his hospital room. “I could see the flames on top of the hill, and I thought, okay, this isn’t going to be good,” said the 21-year-old.

When Robert Waniandy fled the Alberta wildfires with just a garbage bag full of clothes, the 65-year-old had no idea when or where he would see his wife again. The smoke and chaos in Fort McMurray had prompted his wife, Annie Auger, 71, to leave Fort McMurray a few days earlier. When Waniandy, a retired welder, finally reached the evacuation centre at Edmonton’s Expo Centre, he felt so sick that he could only lie listlessly on his cot. Concerned volunteers transferred him to the Royal Alexandra hospital, where he discovered his wife had also been admitted with health issues.

Running from dense smoke and approaching flames is frightening enough the first time. But getting evacuated twice from the burning forests of northern Alberta still didn’t faze Mike Morrison and his fellow scaffolders.

Need help with gas? Have a question about your accommodation? Don’t worry. Volunteers with Canadian Red Cross are ready, well-trained and able to help with hundreds of concerns raised daily by people forced to flee the Alberta wildfires.

Audrey Redcrow is eager to return home to Fort McKay.  But she’s scared of what she may find when she gets there. Audrey, her four children, and their Siberian Husky, Diesel, were evacuated from their northern community on May 7 after the fire threatening Fort McMurray moved towards Fort McKay First Nation.