Al0 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 19, 1998 Terrace fire chief on hand for Salmon Arm evacuation WHEN RESIDENTS of “Salmon Am were evacuated from approaching forest fires carly last week, Terrace fire chick Randy Smith was one of the first on hand to help them through the ordeal. Smith is a volunteer mem- ber of the provincial Emer- gency Social Services (ESS) program, which was called in to organize services for evacuees during the emer. geucy. Smith, who flew down to the region Aug. 9, served as the assistant to the ESS director in Kamloops. Seven thousand evacuees were directed to the city afler the provincial govern: ment declared a state of emergency for Salmon Ar around 10 p.m. the sam night. “Try to find 1,000 beds at twelve o'clock at night,’’ says Smith. : Smith bas been involved in respanses to numerous lo- cal disasters but had never seen a State of emergency. He says evacuees were sonicwhat tense when they arrived in Kamloops but that the situation was helped by the low numbers the city ac- tually received. ESS estimates —had prepared crews for the ar- rival of about 3,800 Salmon Am residents but, with many people camping or finding a home with friends or family, Smith's station only received 250 people. That meant everyone, in- cluding Smith, had a bed, in a hotel or dormitory, which he says made things easier on everyone. But because of the numerous fires across B.C., coordinators in Kamloops Flood. relief. MORE THAN $100, 000 i is going to be spent on flood control projects in the area this year. For one of them, dike repairs at New Remo, the provincial povernment is picking up 75 per cent of the cost with the regional dis- trict taking care of. the remaining 25 per cent of $35,000 project. The other two projects, building up dikes at Granite Creck and replacing a bridge at Dutch Valley, are being covered solely by the province. The New Remo dike pro- ject is one of 37 being done around the province with it: picking up 75 per cent or . $2.1 million of total costs. The Granite Creek work at First Ave. at Lakelse Lake (o build up a dike there. is being done through the pro- vince’s disaster financial as- sistance program, says provincial water branch of- ficial Len Barak from Smithers. He estimates $60,000 will be spent dredging the creck between Hwy16 and First Ave. and using the material to widen and raise dikes there. Barak said the work makes economic sense be- cause it is designed to pre- vent fooding and costs aris- ing from dealing with ihe consequences. “We'll be working with fisheries on the praper time. window in which to do the work,’” he said. The bridge work spanning Spring Creek at Dutch Val-- ley, alsa being covered by the disaster financial: as- sistance program, will res place a culvert, said Barak, . And that culvert replaced - an carlicr, privately-owned bridge which was removed aS a response to an cmer- gency flooding situation, b he added. ‘Consequently a) . temporary crossing was necded and that was the cul-— vert and some diking,’ Barak said. Putting in a permanent. bridge will not only. restore what was‘there before: but improve salmon habitat now. hurt by the culvert, he said, -° ° were fighling for resources with other evacuation centres. “We were working 18 hours a day,”’ says Smith, Workers and evacuees also faced temperatures steadily in the 30s and nightly clouds of smoke blowing into town from nearby fires. When Kamloops didn’t get the number of evacuees ft had expected, ESS crews took the opportunity to train interested residents as volunteers. In addition to workers from St. John’s Ambulance, the Red Cross and the Sal- vation Army, Kamloops bad about 30 ESS volunteers on hand. Courses set up during the evacution trained hundreds of additional — volunteers, which Smith says will mean the area should be self sufficient in the case of ad- ditional evacuations. But Smith, who left Kam- loops Aug. 12, could still be called on by ESS to help with fire evacuations in other areas of the province. He believes the experience he comes back with from situations like this one is in- valuable, “Tt’s getting tougher and tougher to get training,’” he says. Randy Smith Raingear, boots, gloves, elc, "Raingear repairs’ T-Bone Steaks Or Wing. Valu Pack. G No. [aon Bosh Club Price Cantaloupe Product of USA. SAVE up to oie rge Fresh 1 Grade. 4) 6.x 75m LIMIT EIGHT. Boneless Eye of Round Roast Safeway Club Price Tide Laundry Detergent 3.3 kg. 29 to 37 Loads. FIRST ONE. SAVE up to $1.52 Club Price Luceme Watermelon Pops § SAVE up to 90¢ Hi ® ea. Safeway Club Price OverJo English Muffins Assarted vanelies. Package of 6, From the Bakery J SAVE up to » 606 CIRQUE PARASOL “4 Cirews Colebration wt the Pacific Coffseum” Sa TeGe August 22 - Sopfember 7 *No Show August 3} FAMILY PACK OF 4 TICKETS To CIRQUE PARASOL, INCLUDING GATE ADMISSION TO THE PNE FOR JUST °43" PLUS GST 0? “Sold in packs of four only