File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today / Adam Donnelly)

By Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Lytton fire evacuees face a long road ahead

Jul 22, 2021 | 9:46 AM

THE EVENTS OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS FEEL LIKE A BAD DREAM. Hearing that the town of Lytton in my riding of Fraser-Nicola was burning up, on what seemed like a moment’s notice; imagining people’s panic as they tried to quickly grab a couple of things before fleeing; feeling their worry and uncertainty, knowing that life won’t return to normal for quite some time.

This is the reality for residents of Lytton who have lost absolutely everything. Their homes, businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed. The hospital is gone. There are no medical services. The ambulance and police stations no longer exist. The main store and the post office are no more.

It is indeed a lot to contend with, and I want to recognize the tremendous efforts of Lytton village council members and Lytton First Nations. They are working hard on behalf of residents, while many of them lost their own homes in the fire. They know how badly people want to come home, as soon as it is safe to do so, and they are doing their best to facilitate this.

Even though it is still early stages, many residents have expressed a desire to see the town they love rebuilt. But we know it’s going to take a long time to rebuild all the lost infrastructure, restore services, and make the community livable and vibrant once again.

My concern is for the medium-term. In a normal evacuation scenario, people are out of their homes for a few weeks, and can perhaps bunk with family or friends in the event the evacuation order extends longer than that. But what do you do when your entire town is gone? When the homes of everyone you know have gone up in flames? Where do you go? How will you access medical care if you need it? What if you need to talk to a counsellor? When donations and savings run out, how will you purchase necessities like food and other supplies?

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These are the questions I’ve posed to Premier John Horgan. The residents of Lytton need a plan in place for their safety and comfort in the coming months, as we transition from an emergency response towards ensuring they have some semblance of a ‘normal’ life.

This is a unique situation. Yes, there have been other devastating wildfires that have destroyed neighbourhoods and displaced people for long periods of time. But our current wildfire season is looking very grim, and it’s only mid-July. We have already seen a high number of evacuations and alerts, and at times entire communities — including my own, in Ashcroft — have been on alert. My fear is that we are going to run out of places for people to go.

This is why our caucus repeatedly called on the Premier and Public Safety Minister to call a State of Emergency, and also why I’ve asked them to have a plan in place for the Lytton evacuees. What we can’t do is repeatedly uproot them and move them around, causing even more stress and anxiety following this traumatic event. We need to offer them some stability and peace in these trying times.

We need this government to ensure we have the resources and quick response to get on top of these wildfires and prevent any more destruction or displacement. We need to have the ability to refresh our fire crews, who are already exhausted. We owe them and all our frontline workers a debt of gratitude.

We’ve already seen enough — and there’s about three more months left in the wildfire season. Stay safe, everyone.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.