The Notley government and the Canadian Red Cross will be distributing emergency relief funding to everyone who had to evacuate Fort McMurray beginning Wednesday afternoon, officials announced.
The Premier made the announcement that the pre-loaded debit cards, which provide $1,250 per adult and $500 for every child under the age of 18, will be distributed starting Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the evacuation centres.
Evacuees will need a piece of government-issued photo ID and their registration number from the Red Cross to receive their cards.
Notley did stress that anyone who doesn't need immediate access to the funding should consider waiting for a later date to pick up their cards. She hopes those with more immediate need will get their money first.
"Our aim is to get help to the evacuees who need it the most as quickly as possible. We will do everything we can to make the lineups run as smoothly as possible through that process."
The lineups, which are expected to be very long, will be open from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The handouts will then be done on a daily basis from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Notley says the cards will not run out and the funding is all there. "There are enough cards for every eligible evacuee. So, again, if you don't have immediate need for assistance, don't line up today. Let those that need the help most line up to get the help they need."
She says her government is working with the Red Cross to distribute cards to those evacuees who have left the province. Special considerations will also be made to help seniors and those with mobility issues get their cards.
The Canadian Red Cross says it has now gathered over $67M in donations for evacuees from the Fort McMurray wildfire.
"Across the country, Canadians have responded with a tremendous outpouring of support," said Conrad Sauve, the president and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. "To everyone that has helped in person, who has made a donation, we want to thank you."
Over 80,000 evacuees have registered with the Red Cross since they had to leave the community, with hundreds of volunteers recording vital information needed for the process.
"We want to make sure no one is missed," Sauve said.
Sauve said the organization is providing emergency financial support to evacuees as well. "What's important here is that we recognize that the needs of the individuals and families are unique. Which is why I am so pleased to announce today that the Red Cross will be providing $50M of immediate financial assistance directly to the evacuees. This means $600 per adult and $300 per child."
The funding through the Red Cross will be provided to evacuees via an e-transfer to the e-mail address provided during their registration. The transfer will be made within 24 to 48 hours of the announcement on Wednesday.
Any evacuees who did not provide an e-mail will not need to contact the Red Cross; officials will make contact with those individuals in the next few days.
Anyone who hasn't registered with the Red Cross is encouraged to contact them to ensure they get the support they need.
Sauve says the payout is only the first phase of support for evacuees from the Fort McMurray wildfire.
"This is the most important cash transfer we have done in our history and the fastest one. A combination of both the ability to raise money in Canada and also the use of electronic means directly into the hands of those affected."
Sauve says that the $67M donation to-date total doesn't include the matching donations, but there is no estimate on how much further it will grow. "We are early in. We are not sure how much will be raised."
He says that the organization will now work with the province to identify the most vulnerable people in the community of Fort McMurray who need the most help.
The mayor of Lac La Biche, Omer Moghrabi, spoke with Red Cross officials on Tuesday who told him they are doing all they can to help.
“At this point they’ve raised a lot of money. I’ve sat down with them and that announcement is maybe the biggest rollout for their organization in its history and they’re worldwide. Everybody can always do better, but it would be crazy for me to say they haven’t. They’re coming to the plate now and they’re going to help all the evacuees and that’s all we wanted.”
Canada Post says it has put emergency measures in place to help restore mail and parcel delivery to the affected residents of Fort McMurray.
The organization has arranged for their mail forwarding service to be provided free of charge to Fort McMurray residents with postal codes beginning with T9H, T9J and T9K. The service is also available to Anzac residents with the T0P 1J0 code or Fort MacKay residents with the code T0P 1C0.
The service will allow delivery to be made to a different address. It can be done for a short period of time or longer as the situation requires.
Residents can register for the service online at canadapost.ca/mailforward, go to your local post office or call the Canada Post customer service line at 1-866-607-6301.
Online registration will require the use of a credit card, but any charges will be refunded within 5 to 10 business days.
Any residents who believe they have been mailed any urgent parcels or mail, such as medication or passports, should call 1-800-267-1177.
Flex Delivery, a service which allows residents to arrange merchandise bought online to be mailed to the post office of their choosing, is also avalilable, free of charge, to residents.
To make a donation to the Red Cross, call 1-800-418-1111 or visit the website HERE.
