Canadian Red Cross continues to get evacuees out of First Nations impacted by wildfires, with assistance of Canadian military

The Canadian Red Cross is now supporting more than 1,800 people who have been displaced from their homes in four First Nation communities, with another 200 expected to be evacuated by the end of the day.
 
As of 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, 782 members of the Little Grand Rapids First Nation have been evacuated from the community and are now in Winnipeg. There are about 800 people who need to be evacuated from the community, meaning there are just around 18 people still to come out.
 
As for Pauingassi First Nation, 81 people have been transported out of that community as of this afternoon, with an additional 219 still expected to be evacuated today. Due to a lack of airstrip in the community, evacuees have been flown out using float planes and some were transported out using a Canadian military Chinook helicopter yesterday.
 
Some of the evacuees were taken from both communities by smaller aircraft to Red Lake, Ont., where they were flown to Winnipeg in a Canadian military Hercules airplane. The majority of the evacuees have been taken to Winnipeg using commercial aircraft employed by the Red Cross.
 
“The Canadian Red Cross appreciates the support of the Canadian military by supplying the specialized aircraft to supplement the work being done by our team of commercial aircraft,” said Shawn Feely, Canadian Red Cross vice-president, Manitoba and Nunavut. “This evacuation has not been easy and we are very sympathetic of the evacuees who have gone through a very stressful situation but we are happy that we almost have everybody out of harm’s way.”
 
The roughly 100 evacuees from the Kinonjeoshtogan First Nation, who have been out since Monday, have now returned home as of today.
 
There are now 850 evacuees out of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, staying in hotels in The Pas, Swan River and Brandon, as wildfires continue to impact that community.
 
This response is part of an agreement between the Canadian Red Cross and the federal government to provide disaster assistance to Manitoba First Nations.
 
Since Red Cross disaster assistance to First Nations is supported by the federal government, the expenses for the response are covered. Anyone wishing to make a donation to help the Red Cross prepare to assist Manitobans impacted by future disasters can go to www.redcross.ca or call
1-800-418-1111.
 
The Red Cross does not accept donations of any items as it does not have the capacity and resources to handle and store goods. Anyone looking to donate items is asked to reach out to community groups in their area and not to take them to any hotels where evacuees are staying.
 
The Canadian Red Cross has a team of trained volunteers who have the skills and resources to support evacuees in communities throughout Manitoba but more volunteers are needed. Anyone who wants to volunteer to help with future disasters can go to www.redcross.ca.
 
For more information please contact:
Canadian Red Cross Media Line
(204) 982-7301