Individuals and businesses across Canada had as of last week raised $92 million for the Canadian Red Cross in support of Fort McMurray evacuees.
A raging wildfire in Fort McMurray forced its 88,000 residents to evacuate on May 3 and has as of the most recent reports consumed more than 500,000 hectares of land along with about 2,400 structures.
Canadian Red Cross officials have said it will likely be the largest natural disaster in Canadian history.
Shawn Feely, Canadian Red Cross vice-president for Manitoba and Nunavut, said officials have distributed more than $41 million to Fort McMurray and area evacuees through electronic transfers.
“We know that people who have been evacuated from Fort McMurray and area have gone right across Canada, so we wanted to make sure that we reached as many people as possible,” said Feely, adding officials have been able to reach 34,000 households.
“Now we're working to reach the rest.”
Evacuees are encouraged to register their whereabouts with the Canadian Red Cross online or by calling 1-888-350-6070.
Although some organizations across the province and even outside of the province have been accepting in-kind material donations for evacuees, the Canadian Red Cross is only accepting monetary donations.
“With the monetary donations the money can go directly to the individuals because they know what they need,” said Feely.
“So although people really, really would want to help and donate goods, that might not be what the individuals need,” he added.
“It's also very costly in terms of people's time and energy to move those goods, so we know from experience that providing monetary donations works the best.”
Canadian Red Cross officials have been working at various emergency centres in Lac La Biche, Edmonton and Calgary.
They are also working with several community organizations to identify what evacuees need, not only immediately but also in the months to come, he said.
“We know that the recovery is going to take a number of years. It's just not going to take a couple of weeks or a couple of months,” he said.
“Once they get back into their community it's going to take a while before things get back to the new normal.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government will match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross by individuals from May 3 to 31 with no financial cap.
Premier Rachel Notley said the provincial government will do the same.
The dollar amount received by the Canadian Red Cross for Fort McMurray evacuees marks the highest amount the organization has ever received during a natural disaster, surpassing $43.3 million raised during the 2013 southern Alberta floods.
People can donate to the Canadian Red Cross by calling 1-800-418-1111 or online at redcross.ca. People can also text REDCROSS to 30333 to donate $5.
"Once they get back into their community it's going to take a while before things get back to the new normal."Shawn Feely,Canadian Red Cross
