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October 27, 2017 4:32 pm

Kudos For P.G.’s People and the Evacuation Centre

Monday, July 17, 2017 @ 5:58 AM

Prince George, B.C. –  As the City of Prince George  welcomes thousands of  people  forced from their  homes  by wildfires in the Cariboo, the  people of Prince George  are getting a thumbs up. Assistant Deputy Minister for Emergency Management B.C. ,  Robert Turner,   visited  the  Emergency  Evacuation Centre  in Prince George over the weekend,  “Just a tremendous support from the community, from  people who are taking in billeting,  people who are working in the reception centres and  supporting the group lodging.  This is a very difficult  and sometimes  traumatic event  for the people impacted by the fires, and I just want to acknowledge how much tremendous work and support  is  being done by people across  British Columbia.”

It was just a  little over  a week ago that Prince George  learned it would be an  evacuation centre for those forced from their homes.   In that time,  the city has welcomed more than 7,000 evacuees and organized hundreds of volunteers.  The  businesses and organizations in the  community  have come forward with offers and  assistance  for  the evacuees.

“I am so proud of the  community for how we’ve stepped up” says  Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall. “Actually, it’s a pretty humbling experience to  see the outpouring of support.  I knew   it would happen,  but we  have really stepped  up and done the job, so I am extremely proud of the community.”

Mayor Hall  says  everyone has been   so helpful,  “It’s just the make up and the thread of the community and  you put the call out and people are  there in droves.  In one respect it’s a tough time of the year because people are on holidays,   but in another respect,  this has happened  at  a time  when  we can provide accommodation in our schools,  if we need more facilities for accommodation, they are available.”

Comments

Considering the scope and the unknown PG came together and was very well organized in very short order and despite some hiccups and some learning curves nobody has missed a beat per se many evacuees were impressed at how quickly after they arrived that they were registered, placed and had vouchers for food in very short order

Keep up the good work people of PG nobody knows how long this will last but stay strong

    Right on, Dearth, I too am proud to see Prince George stepping up, it’s been an incredible time.

I think our Mayor Lynn Hall is doing an excellent job communicating to the media and representing our City, thank you. :)

    Yeah, I completely agree. Lynn Hall is a great representative for PG. Best Mayor we’ve had in ages.

Yesss the people in PG should pat themselves on their back. Watching social media, people helping each other find resources is AMAZING

As a volunteer, I also find it very rewarding to give back. We live in an amazing city! If you can volunteer, even for a few hours, people are still needed by the Sally Ann and other areas.

Born and raised in Victoria, we mover to Prince George in 1969, moved to Kamloops in 2003 and back to PG in 2008. Best city ever for volunteers and nice people.

Same thing moved up north in 1983 from Burnaby only knowing one person at that time. Learned a lot of things since living here…what married life would be like…what shoveling snow would be like…but more importantly the pride of being a true northener and the resilency of the citizens of this city. Helpfulness and true compassion to your fellow human being is truly remarkable!!

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