“This community may look and feel very different than the community residents left last month. But it is still a strong community, and progress is being made every day to make it stronger.” – Premier Rachel Notley
Re-entry update:
- Voluntary, phased re-entry has begun and will continue, with the exception of the neighbourhoods of Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways.
- The traffic plan developed in conjunction with the RMCP and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is being implemented to ensure a smooth process.
- Information Centres are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Conditions will continue to be assessed daily and, if the situation changes, the re-entry schedule may be adjusted.
Transportation plan update:
- RCMP have removed traffic barricades from Highway 63. Traffic barricades remain in place for restricted areas in Fort McMurray.
- Traffic is free flowing on Highways 63 and 881 in northbound and southbound directions, with good driving conditions (bare and dry).
- Twinning of Highway 63 is essentially complete, with two lanes open in northbound and southbound directions between Fort McMurray and Highway 55 junction.
- RCMP and sheriffs have increased their presence on routes between Edmonton and Fort McMurray.
- Please travel safely. Don’t take chances, obey the rules of the road and follow the speed limit.
Re-entry information for Zone 1:
- Voluntary Zone 1 re-entry began this morning. Zone 1 includes the Lower Townsite, Anzac, Fort McMurray First Nation #468 and Gregoire Lake Estates.
- Information Centres in Zone 1 are located at:
- Fort McMurray Composite High School, 9803 King Street (wildfire relief funding debit cards available at this centre)
- Vista Ridge, 1 Spruce Valley Drive, Saprae Creek
- Anzac Community Hall, 105B-4 Christina Drive, Anzac
Re-entry information for Zones 2, 3 and 4
- Zone 2 begins tomorrow, Thursday, June 2, and includes Parsons Creek, Stone Creek, Timberlea, Eagle Ridge and Dickinsfield.
- Information Centres for Zone 2 are located at:
- Holy Trinity High School, 230 Powder Drive
- Eagle Ridge Community Centre, 301 Sparrow Hawk Drive
- Zones 3 and 4A begin Friday, June 3, and include Thickwood, Wood Buffalo, Gregoire, Prairie Creek and Saprae Creek Estates.
- The information Centre for Zone 3 is located at Westwood High School/YMCA, 221 Tundra Drive (wildfire relief funding debit cards available at this centre).
- The Information Centre for Zone 4A is located at Oil Sands Discovery Centre, 515 MacKenzie Boulevard.
- Phase 4B begins Saturday, June 4, for Grayling Terrace and Draper.
- The Information Centre for Zone 4B is located at Oil Sands Discovery Centre, 515 MacKenzie Boulevard.
- Information Centres are available to residents regardless of their zone of habitation.
Information for residents in Abasand, Waterways and Beacon Hill:
- Homes in Abasand, Waterways and Beacon Hill cannot be occupied permanently until hazardous debris has been removed by the municipality.
- A tackifier called Posi-Shell is being applied to debris in damaged areas. A tackifier is a powdery substance that dries to a hard shell, which prevents ash and other contaminants from becoming airborne. It is an environmentally safe, non-toxic compound that is commonly used in landfills.
Services:
- Even though some grocery, hardware and convenience stores opened on the weekend, returning residents should bring basic necessities to last for up to 14 days, including food, drinking water and prescriptions.
- While the waste-water treatment plant is becoming fully operational, residents are asked to help ensure it is not overwhelmed.
- Please use water wisely – keep showers, laundry and vehicle washing to a minimum.
Information for all affected residents:
- The Red Cross is providing financial travel assistance for those who are not receiving it through their insurance or workplace. Additional financial assistance for people returning to Fort McMurray is also available. Contact the Red Cross for details. Call 1-888-350-6070 or visit redcross.ca.
- Out-of-province evacuees received an email on May 31 with detailed instructions on how to apply for wildfire relief funding (evacuees who stayed in Alberta received this funding as debit cards).
- Applications will be accepted at more than 600 locations across Canada for out-of-province evacuees between June 1 and June 15. Location information is available online at the Government of Canada website at servicecanada.gc.ca.
- Evacuees will need to attend in person with government-issued photo identification and documentation to substantiate their claims and applications.
- Telephone town halls will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. this evening (June 1) and June 2 for all evacuees.
- For more information on services, out-of-province supports and updates, please visit the Government of Alberta emergency website at:emergency.alberta.ca.
- AHS has health-care teams at several reception centres, and help is also available by calling Health Link toll-free at 811 or the Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642.
- Licensed child care will not be available in Fort McMurray immediately upon re-entry. Government is working with child-care providers to support getting their programs operational as quickly as possible once operators re-enter the community. Families who need child care may want to consider waiting until licensed and approved options are available before they bring their children back to Fort McMurray.
Health information:
- Restoration of the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre continues. The emergency department, laboratory services, and diagnostic imaging are now available (as of June 1).
- Alberta Health Services is providing 24/7 basic health services and emergency and urgent care at the Fort McMurray Urgent Care Centre, located at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre (9908 Penhorwood Street). The urgent-care facility will run throughout the re-entry period, until the hospital is fully operational.
- Services at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre mirror the basic services currently available at the urgent-care facility. This helps to increase service capacity, but does not expand the types of services available in the community. Residents with the following medical issues should not return until the hospital is fully operational:
- Those with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma;
- Those who require regular primary care, home care or specialized treatment like dialysis or cancer;
- Those who were recently discharged from hospital or who have had a transplant; and
- Women who are more than 36 weeks pregnant or who have a high-risk pregnancy.
- A boil-water advisory remains in effect for the area of Fort McMurray, including the Fort McMurray First Nation, Saprae Creek, Fort McMurray International Airport, Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, Gregoire Lake Provincial Park and nearby work camps that pull water from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Water Treatment Plant.
- The air-quality advisory issued by AHS for the Fort McMurray area remains in effect. Residents are advised to take appropriate precautions.
- Real-time air-quality data and information is available at www.environment.alberta.ca/
apps/aqhi/aqhi.aspx.
Housing update:
- Before returning, renters should contact their landlords to confirm their units are ready for occupancy.
Occupational Health and Safety:
- Safety information for employers and employees working in areas affected by wildfires can be found online at work.alberta.ca/occupational-
health-safety/fort-mcmurray- wildfires.html.
Pet information:
- The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s Municipal Law Enforcement Services, in co-operation with the Alberta SPCA and many other animal welfare organizations, conducted the largest pet evacuation in Canadian history.
- More than 1,000 pets have been reunited with their owners.
- Some pets remain unclaimed and an online, pet in-care gallery is on the municipality’s website at www.rmwb.ca.
- Pet owners who need to claim their pet or make an inquiry should call Municipal Law Enforcement Services at 780-788-4200.
- The RMWB Municipal Law Enforcement Services continues to feed and care for over 220 in-house pets in the community.
Current situation:
- The Fort McMurray wildfire remains out of control. It is estimated to cover 581,695 hectares, including the Saskatchewan side, with a new perimeter estimate of 984 kilometres. There was minimal fire growth yesterday.
- Extreme burning conditions still exist for some areas of the fire.
- There are 2,472 firefighters and support staff, 99 helicopters and 287 pieces of heavy equipment battling this fire, with an estimate of about 400 kilometres of fire guard completed.
- As of 9 a.m., there were 13 active wildfires in Alberta, with one (Fort McMurray) out of control.
- Wildfire crews from across the world are supporting Alberta’s efforts, including 299 firefighters from South Africa.
Weather:
- There was between zero and two millimetres of rain over the fire yesterday.
- There is a 40 per cent chance of light rain or thundershowers today.
- Forecast for the Fort McMurray area for today:
- Approximately 21 C, 35-to-40 per cent humidity, with southeast winds at 15 kilometres per hour.
Donation update:
- The Red Cross has raised more than $104 million, which does not include matching funds.
Bears:
- Fish and Wildlife Officers have confirmed that the bear situation in Fort McMurray is under control.
- Garbage has been removed.
- Returning residents are asked to ensure appliances and new garbage are secured until picked up or delivered to a waste management facility.
- Report any bear concerns to the 24-hour line at 1-800-642-3800.