The response from Albertans, Canadians, and even concerned individuals outside of Canada following the Slave Lake fire in Alberta continues to amaze! A very gracious thank you to all the people who have tweeted and retweeted messages of support, liked our posts on facebook and emailed or posted messages asking how they can help! Rest assured your support is very much appreciated!
A devastating image from Slave Lake. Photo credit: Shane O'Brien. Check out more on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadian_redcross.
For Red Cross staff and volunteers involved in the response, it’s been another day of determined and dedicated work as we continue to assist thousands of individuals forced from their homes in the wake of the blaze that destroyed nearly half the Town of Slave Lake. Last night, staff and volunteers from British Columbia answered the call, working with TELUS to set up the TELUS Call Centre out of Burnaby. Personnel worked throughout the night taking calls from people affected by the fires or family members and friends looking for loved ones. Today they adjusted their hours to 8am to 9pm, Mountain Time, and have received more than 400 calls since they launched last evening. That number is: 1-800-565-4483.
And in Alberta, personnel continue to work with city, town and provincial leads to support shelters across the province. We also continue to field calls, answer questions and take donations from generous donors. Please note, we just want to remind folks that in-kind donations, while well-intentioned, are not being accepted. We have found from our experience that monetary donations enable us to target key needs in the most efficient way possible.
As the day wraps up and the devastation sinks in, we’d like to share some sobering photos from Shane O’Brien on flickr Thanks again for your support!