On August 17, the Vernon ESS Reception Centre opened to receive and assist evacuees from neighbouring communities who were displaced due to wildfires in the region.
Some Evacuation Orders remain in place for neighbouring communities, however, the number of evacuees seeking assistance from the Vernon Reception Centre has decreased significantly.
As a result, the Vernon ESS Reception Centre will be closing on Thursday, August 31 at 2:00 p.m.
Residents are asked to contact their respective municipal, regional district or First Nation’s office if they need further ESS assistance, or if they have questions related to the status of Evacuation Orders or Alerts, re-entry plans or community recovery efforts.
Since August 17, Vernon’s ESS program has assisted over 2,400 evacuees, primarily from West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, and nearby areas. This is slightly fewer than the nearly 3,000 evacuees who were assisted at the Vernon ESS Reception Centre during the six-week period of the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire. This exceptional response is possible thanks in large part to the efforts of a strongly dedicated team of volunteers.
The City would like to thank every volunteer, staff member, local service provider, community organization that helped make the reception centre operation possible and provided caring and compassionate service for those who have faced incredibly difficult circumstances.
A thank you banner, provided by Wayside, is now at Kal Tire Place. It’s there for community members to express their appreciation and gratitude to emergency responders and ESS volunteers.
If you are looking for details related to emergency response in fire-affected areas, please check out the following websites for updates: