Residents Returning to Fire-ravaged Alberta Town and Surprise Welcome
A Fort McMurray DJ added a special welcome addition to the Alberta city sign Monday.
Montreal (dpa) - Almost a month after a raging wildfire forced them to abandon their homes, thousands of residents of Fort McMurray in the western Canadian province of Alberta began returning to reclaim their hometown on Wednesday.
Up to 15,000 people were expected to return on the first day of a carefully planned re-entry plan, provincial officials said.
"Today begins a journey more than a month in the making, the journey home to Fort McMurray," said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who came to Canada's devastated oil sands capital to offer her support.
"This journey is possible because of incredibly brave and dedicated first responders who were able to save so much of this city from one of the most destructive wildfires Alberta and indeed Canada has ever seen."
Almost 90,000 people were forced to flee Fort McMurray and surrounding communities when an "ocean of fire," which is still burning out of control east of the city, engulfed the region in early May.
The wildfire destroyed about 10 per cent of the city, but firefighters managed to save most of downtown and almost all of the city's critical infrastructure.
Notley also thanked the hundreds of people who worked to prepare the city for the return of the evacuees.
But, she warned, "many hard days still lie ahead."
"You have shown tremendous courage under the most difficult of circumstances," Notley said. "And you will need every ounce of that courage in the days to come."
She said the rebuilding effort will take "years, not weeks."
Notley noted that grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, and gas stations had reopened in the city.
However, all returning residents have been asked to bring a two-week supply of water, food, medication, fuel and other necessities as the city still lacks safe drinking water and stores haven't been fully restocked.
Officials have distributed about 30,000 welcome packs to Fort McMurray homes filled with everything from information booklets to dust masks, amid continuing concerns over air quality.
The re-entry plan does not cover about 2,000 residents of Fort McMurray's three hardest hit neighbourhoods: Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways where environmental testing discovered elevated levels of caustic chemicals and heavy metals.
Residents have also been advised to bring flashlights, batteries, long-sleeve shirts, pants and rubber boots to be ready to deal with whatever hazards may be found in their homes.
Montreal (dpa) - Almost a month after a raging wildfire forced them to abandon their homes, thousands of residents of Fort McMurray in the western Canadian province of Alberta began returning to reclaim their hometown on Wednesday.
Up to 15,000 people were expected to return on the first day of a carefully planned re-entry plan, provincial officials said.
"This journey is possible because of incredibly brave and dedicated first responders who were able to save so much of this city from one of the most destructive wildfires Alberta and indeed Canada has ever seen."
Almost 90,000 people were forced to flee Fort McMurray and surrounding communities when an "ocean of fire," which is still burning out of control east of the city, engulfed the region in early May.
The wildfire destroyed about 10 per cent of the city, but firefighters managed to save most of downtown and almost all of the city's critical infrastructure.
Notley also thanked the hundreds of people who worked to prepare the city for the return of the evacuees.
But, she warned, "many hard days still lie ahead."
"You have shown tremendous courage under the most difficult of circumstances," Notley said. "And you will need every ounce of that courage in the days to come."
She said the rebuilding effort will take "years, not weeks."
Notley noted that grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, and gas stations had reopened in the city.
However, all returning residents have been asked to bring a two-week supply of water, food, medication, fuel and other necessities as the city still lacks safe drinking water and stores haven't been fully restocked.
Officials have distributed about 30,000 welcome packs to Fort McMurray homes filled with everything from information booklets to dust masks, amid continuing concerns over air quality.
The re-entry plan does not cover about 2,000 residents of Fort McMurray's three hardest hit neighbourhoods: Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways where environmental testing discovered elevated levels of caustic chemicals and heavy metals.
Residents have also been advised to bring flashlights, batteries, long-sleeve shirts, pants and rubber boots to be ready to deal with whatever hazards may be found in their homes.