The Crossing Trilogy

Chapter 13

13

The community hall was full. There weren't enough seats for everyone and people stood at the back of the hall and along the sides. There was an information table with brochures by the entranceway that supplied contact numbers for residents in case of evacuation, fire reporting numbers, as well as locations to house evacuees. Enlarged Washington State maps were pinned on the back wall showing the fire's current location. Local area maps were posted marking potential evacuation order locations. To Sydney's surprise, an area just south of the Canada/US border was marked 'Evacuated'.

Sydney and Jessie searched for a place to sit without any luck. They spotted Jax about halfway up the hall. He waved to them and pointed at two seats he was saving and they pushed their way through the crowd of people to join him.

“Thanks, Jax. We would have been standing if you hadn't saved us a place,” Sydney said.

“No problem.”

She looked around the room. “Is your father here tonight?”

“No, he's in Kelowna on business.”

The meeting was called to order. Six people sat at a long table angled to the side at the front of the hall. A screen had been pulled down on the stage directly ahead of them.

A woman stood with a hand mike. “I'm Mayor Givens. I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight. First, I want to introduce everyone here at the table. At the far end, is our local Provincial MLA (Member of the Legislature), Jonathan Brown. Then we have Donna Parsons, Director of the Stoney Creek ESS (Emergency Social Services), Next to Donna is Gordon Summit, the Fire Protection Officer from the Kamloops Fire Centre. Beside Gordon is Kathleen Cunningham, the Fire Information Officer and next to me, Staff Sergeant Roger Reynolds of the Stoney Creek RCMP Detachment (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Each of us will fill you in on the role we'll play during the current situation. First up is Gordon Summit, our Fire Protection Officer.”

“Good evening. I'm the Fire Protection Office in charge of operations here in the valley. What we'd like to do tonight is fill you in on the status of the Cascade Fire in Washington and how that has affected us here in Canada thus far, as well as possible future expectations. If someone could turn the lights down, I'd like to do a slide presentation.”

The room darkened and he began. “This is a map of the fire, like the one on the back wall. This fire has been burning for three weeks and due to high winds and mountainous terrain making it difficult to reach by ground crews, it is still uncontained. The rings around the fire shows the expansion of the fire since it originated at this point. Our concern is the northern side of the fire. At the moment it is ten miles south of the Canadian border. Winds have changed direction and it is heading towards British Columbia. If it crosses into BC it will be an interface fire.” He changed the slide to a southern British Columbia map. “Should the fire continue to move our way, this local map shows predicted Emergency Evacuation Alerts by area. I want to reference this section west of Osoyoos. It isn't largely populated as it is mainly farms and vineyards. Because of the sudden directional change of the fire, this area was evacuated today.” A murmur could be heard around the hall. “The town of Osoyoos has been placed on Evacuation Alert. Should the fire jump the border and continue northeast on its course, Stoney Creek will be next on an Evacuation Alert. Once an Evacuation Alert is put in place, each home will be visited by a triage group. This group looks at roofing materials, out buildings, etc. to determine the most strategic places to set up sprinklers and hoses to protect the town should the fire approach. Rural properties will also be evaluated. At the moment we are set up here in the hall and are available at any time. Our information officer, Kathleen will provide the Mayor and RCMP Staff Sergeant with updated information on a daily basis. She is your liaison. You are welcome to call into a designated number here at the hall or stop in to see her. We will also be posting information on our website which is listed in the brochure. I'll be travelling back and forth between Stoney Creek and Osoyoos daily. Once we have all spoken here tonight, we'll open the meeting up for questions. I'd like to introduce the EMS co-ordinator, Donna Parsons.”

Donna stood and addressed the hall. “Good evening everyone. The evacuees from the eastern locale are currently being housed in Osoyoos. Should Osoyoos be evacuated at some point, this hall will provide emergency housing along with the town of Oliver. And in the event that Stoney Creek residents are evacuated, Penticton will be setting up housing locations. I'm available at any time either here in the hall or through the EMP number to address any concerns or answer questions you may have. Should you decide to stay with family elsewhere, we ask that you register here before you leave. In case of evacuation, we need to know that you are safe.”

The Provincial MLA spoke to the crowd about emergency funds available in the event of evacuation and in the case of lost homes. The RCMP Staff Sergeant informed the public that they would be calling in additional staff from neighbouring detachments and knocking on all doors should an evacuation be called. He stressed the importance of leaving when ordered to. And if anyone chose to stay behind, they were restricted to their residences. “If you leave your residence at any time you will not be allowed to return.” He paused and stared around the room. I'll be very candid here and say that if you decide to ignore the evacuation order, please write your name on your arm with a permanent marker for identification purposes.” That brought about an intended reaction of shocked murmurs from the crowd.

The meeting was opened up for questions and the mayor closed it out.

“I just want to add that you can stop into city hall or call at any time if you have questions should the EMP and Fire Centre phones be busy. The last thing I'd like to address is there was the smell of smoke in town today and I understand those living west of town were particularly subjected to smoke filling the valley. It may worsen. I urge anyone who has breathing problems, seniors and those with young babies to consider leaving the area for awhile. You can stop in at the medical centre and discuss any issues you have with our local nurse. And talk to the EMP co-ordinator. We will be holding fire update meetings about every five days here at the hall unless there is an urgency to meet sooner . Check our website, watch the bulletin boards and pass it on to your neighbours. Don't forget to pick up the brochures on your way out. Some are very helpful on what to pack in case of evacuation, For those of you with animals that would need moving, get your name on the list and talk to the Animal Bylaw Officer. Thank you and good night.”

* * *

“Here's hoping the fire doesn't border jump,” Jax said, raising his beer glass. Everyone at the table murmured agreement and clicked glasses. Sydney had joined Jax and Jessie at a local pub after the meeting, Some of their friends had come in and they'd pushed a few tables together.

Sydney observed the group. It was nice to meet some new people around her own age, in spite of the circumstances that brought them together. They appeared to be a great bunch and included her in their midst like she was one of them. They discussed what to pack in case of an evacuation.

Jax pulled a notepad out of his jacket pocket. “Some of the elderly living independently will need some help if they have to leave their properties. And some of them have animals to be moved.”

A list was made of the people they knew of and the names split between them. The plan was to visit them all in the next few days and assess their needs should they be forced to leave their properties. They'd taken extra brochures from the hall to give their charges. Sydney asked to accompany Jessie. She didn't want to approach any of them on her own. As a stranger to them, they might be suspicious of her and Sydney knew they would already be on edge and fearful of leaving their properties. She certainly was.

The conversation turned to some lighthearted kibitzing and laughter. The pub was full of people who had attended the meetings, and the synergy was electric. Sydney relaxed and joined in with the group.

“Did you drive into town in your own car?” Jax asked as they were all leaving.

'No. I came in with Jess.”

“Do you want a drive home?”

“I'm crashing at Jess' place tonight. But thanks for the offer.”

“All right. How about I pick you up at seven. We can have breakfast and I'll take you back to the farm with me.”

“Sounds good. See you in the morning.” She watched him leave with a couple of male friends, jostling and laughing like teenage boys.

Sydney turned to Jessie who was grinning at her. She leaned into Sydney and whispered in her ear. “Bigger than both of you.”

“Stop it. I have to get home somehow.” She gave Jessie a glare. “Come on, let's go.”