Some residents displaced by the Bald Range wildfire are being granted temporary access to Summerland for critical purposes as emergency officials plan for a staged return to the community.
Graham Statt, the District of Summerland’s chief administrative officer, said during a Regional Emergency Operations Centre briefing that the region is in the response phase and conditions are not yet safe for a general return.
“It’s not a time right now to be able to go back to the community. It is not safe at this time.”
The Regional Emergency Operations Centre is permitting temporary access for critical needs, including animal protection and welfare, and is triaging requests while officials develop broader re-entry plans.
“As things improve, and they will get better, right now we are already providing temporary access requests for critical purposes for re-entry.”
Statt did not provide a specific timeline for when all residents will be able to return home. He said re-entry will happen in stages, with safety assessments playing a key role in determining when affected areas can reopen.
Statt said crews are gathering information about utilities and other infrastructure throughout affected areas.
“We will work to ensure affected areas are safe before we have any public return.”
Damage assessments will also be an important part of the re-entry process, Statt said.
“More information will be shared as plans are finalized, but as we get into the re-entry phase, a really important part of that is going to be our ability to do rapid damage assessment.”
Statt said once residents can safely return, officials expect to move into the recovery and rebuilding phase, including restoring public infrastructure and addressing impacts on residents, businesses and the environment.
“Different parts of the community will be impacted in different ways, as you can expect. For some, the road to recovery is going to be a long one,” he said.
“We’re also aware that some small businesses have been greatly affected in and around the area, especially Summerland, and we have flagged this with the province that they’ll need to think about what supports for small business looks like as well when we talk about small business recovery.”
Resources for evacuees
Emergency Operations Centre: 250-490-4225
Emergency Support Services (ESS) — Evacuee Registration and Assistance: ess.gov.bc.ca or 1-800-387-4258
Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team: 250-490-6531
Emergency: 911
