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Grateful replies from Alberta fire evacuees wanting to thank Canadians for their overwhelming support, poured into Canadian Red Cross just moments after emails went out Wednesday offering evacuees $50 million in immediate financial assistance.

The Canadian Red Cross has mobilized to help the people affected by wildfires in Alberta. Massive wildfires have triggered the largest fire-related evacuation in Alberta's history, and due to high temperatures and wind the situation has the potential to become more serious. 

Starting from May, and continuing through the summer months, forest fires are more likely to occur across the country with British Columbia and the Boreal forest zones of Ontario, Quebec, the Prairie Provinces, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories most at risk. Each year, there are approximately 8,000 forest fires in Canada, causing extensive damage and putting lives in danger. Now is the time to learn how to be ready before, during and after a forest fire.

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

Gary Tinker did not know what to expect when he arrived at the Evraz shelter on July 1. He and his family had just spent nine hours on a bus ride from Pinehouse, Saskatchewan. Like the 1,500 residents from his community, he was given little time pack before leaving.

Red Cross volunteer Fabrice Vanhoutte loves putting a smile on children’s faces. So, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve for the young people in a Saskatoon shelter.
 
“If I see a kid who is upset, I don’t necessarily go right up to them but I stay nearby and play my mouth organ or start showing a card trick,” says Vanhoutte.
 

It’s an exciting time for some of the people evacuated by the Saskatchewan wildfires who get to return to their communities. There are plenty of smiles as they board buses on their way back home. Most have mentioned looking forward to sleeping in their own beds; others are excited to see their pets.

Lynn MacLeod didn’t worry when she volunteered to fly across the country to help people affected by the Saskatchewan wildfires. She knew that she was well-prepared.

“I’m so happy for all of our Red Cross training! It means I can go anywhere in the country and know how to help,” says MacLeod, who is from Prince Edward Island.