Wildfire evacuees who have found themselves in the Central Okanagan now have a place where they can register for support.
Emergency Social Services has opened a reception centre in Kelowna at the Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Avenue, at the corner of Sutherland Avenue and Burtch Road.
“Anyone can come that’s been displaced by fire. So we know that people came from 100 Mile House to stay with their cousins here or they came from Ashcroft and they still haven’t registered,” says Salvation Army Spokesperson Patty Lou Bryant “So come and register, this will get them started, get them registered, reordered, people will know where they are.”
With smoke getting worse in some areas and the Kamloops reception centre reportedly being really busy, Bryant expects about 1,000 people to register in Kelowna over the coming days.
The Regional District of the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says temporary accommodation will be made available for up to 500 people on evacuation orders.
The reception centre will be open every day from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
Bryant says the Salvation Army has also been sending members to evacuated areas to feed firefighters and RCMP officers.