With anniversary of the June 2013 flood approaching, an information session was held at the Morley Youth Centre on Wednesday (April 23) to offer community members information relating to the flood. Information was made available concerning weather forecasting, health services and disaster preparation.
“Our goal is to have community members prepared in the event of a disaster and have a 72-hour (emergency) kit in their home so that if something should happen they can take care of themselves for 72 hours,” said Fran Byers, Alberta Emergency Management Agency officer.
“The first responders can start looking after the event and then once things calm down they have a better idea of how to deal with the human resources that are affected by the disaster.”
A discounted emergency kit list was distributed, with a majority of the items being listed as available at Dollarama and Walmart.
David Turner of Alberta Health Services was present, and said services and resources have been identified by the community as needed.
“There’s community wellness issues that have been identified by the community that need to be implemented here,” said Turner of residents still living in temporary housing near the Morley townsite.
“The camps where the families are residing have no green space, there’s a recreation trailer, but these are kids and they need space, they need respite from the confined quarters.
“I talked to Camp Chief Hector yesterday and I’m going to be talking with Ghost River Rediscovery and as well we’re talking to Tim Horton’s (Ranch Camp). These families are going to need respite away from these trailers and an area where they can go that’s structured, that has the infrastructure in place already to provide activities for those kids and families and we need to access it now – not in six months, how can we access it now?”
Anna Marie Iles, planning manager for the recovery management team, was present to discuss information on a number of possible emergencies. “Our whole focus is about helping people from last year’s flood and preparing for any future disasters that might happen, maybe flood, maybe forest fire, train derailment,” Iles gave as examples.
“The theme is preparedness and how are things measured, people are fretting now about another flood, and this group that’s gathered isn’t just focused on flood.”
Iles said one agency present was covering snowpack control and how the government is measuring the flow and the volume of water in the rivers.
“It’s early, as you probably know, and we probably have snow to come and rain to come as part of spring or the end of winter. So they’re not able to predict now what’s going to happen in June, but it’s just to educate the people that these are the tools that are being used outside of the Nation by the government,” said Iles.
Tom Neufeld of the Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force said what they have found in Morley is a level of anxiety that another flood could be possible this year. “The level of anxiety is through the roof, people want to know what’s going on and first of all is there going to be another flood?” Neufeld said.
“You know, as soon as we get some sustained rains people are going to be looking at the rivers and the snowpack.”
Morley resident Gloria Snow has been staying in one of the emergency trailers provided after the flooding. “The space is inadequate and I posted pictures of the situation on Facebook, and a lot of people were outraged at the pictures because of the small space,” Snow said.
Snow lives in the trailer with her husband, but says the emergency shelter is only adequate for one person. “It’s one small room and a washroom, compounded to that there’s also a single person who moved in next to us and we share the washroom.”
Snow agreed with Turner’s remarks in there not being adequate green space for children. “There’s no playgrounds ... this is basically for single people or people working at an oil-patch camp,” said Snow. “It’s highly inadequate and it’s a health concern.”
