Joshua StorieFort McMurray evacuees are settling into their new lives in Lister Hall, which is only one way the University of Alberta is responding to Alberta’s wildfire crisis.
The U of A began preparing to house displaced families as wildfires forced more than 80,000 Fort McMurray residents from their homes on May 4. By the morning of May 6, about 180 Fort McMurray evacuees had checked into Lister Hall. That evening, the number shot to more than 1,000. In only one day, Residence Services prepared more than 657 rooms for use.
Last week, the university community raised $16,435 for the Red Cross in a fundraiser for Fort McMurray evacuees in Quad, which will be matched by Scotiabank. More than 90 boxes of food were also donated at the fundraiser, and were forwarded to Edmonton Emergency Relief Services and the Edmonton Food Bank. Evacuees, volunteers, students, and U of A President David Turpin showed support and offered thanks for the contributions.
“We knew there was going to be a huge turnout because the people who work at the University of Alberta really care about their community,” he said. “That makes you so proud to be from the University of Alberta, so proud to be an Albertan and so proud to be a Canadian.”
Evacuees currently housed in Lister Centre are now being provided with food, clothing, counselling, recreation access, and health services. Units within the U of A are offering services to evacuees as well, such as emergency dental services from the School of Dentistry and physiotherapy from the Glenn Sather Sports Clinic. The temporary residents have also been provided free long distance phone access to contact family and friends.
Lister Hall’s younger evacuees are keeping busy by watching movies on projectors. The more than 200 children are currently being set up in schools to complete their studies for the current year. For Fort McMurray students graduating this year who choose to not write their final exams, the U of A will admit prospective students based on their current grades.
The U of A’s next step with the Fort McMurray evacuees is to help plan their transition into longer-term accommodations, as Lister Hall will need to accommodate U of A students in the fall.
“It will be some time before we actually know what the plan is for moving people back into Fort McMurray,” he said. “But right now, our priority is to get them into clean accommodation, get them set up and take care of those families.”
