Wildfires in the suburbs of Halifax and across Shelburne County in southwestern Nova Scotia have forced some 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. The Canadian Red Cross is on the ground in support of the provincial and municipal governments and is working with community organizations to provide help to those impacted.
Shelters managed by the Red Cross provided a place to stay but as more folks are permitted to re-enter their communities, comfort centres are now a hub for community supports. For example, at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax, mental health support, representatives from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and other organizations including the Disaster Animal Response Team Nova Scotia, St. John Ambulance, the Salvation Army, Nova Scotia Health, Halifax Regional Municipality’s Victim Services, and provincial and municipal emergency management agencies.
Similar help has been provided by Red Cross teams at two emergency shelters in Shelburne County.
The Canadian Red Cross is also helping people evacuated from long-term care homes by providing hospital-style beds and mobility aids from our Health Equipment Loan Program to other nursing homes, university residences and other sites where evacuees have been temporarily placed.
At the request of the Government of Nova Scotia, the Red Cross is also distributing one-time financial assistance of $500 to households under mandatory evacuation orders in Halifax Regional Municipality or Shelburne County. Eligible households can register by calling 1-800-863-6582 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Atlantic time, 7 days a week or by visiting a reception site near them.
If you’d like to help through a donation, you can make one online or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
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Wildfires: Before, during, and after