Evacuee couple with newborn faces added stress as SPSA deals with ‘backlog’

By Derek Cornet

Shannon Roberts and Cory Richie were happy to learn on Tuesday that they will soon be headed home after navigating the wildfire evacuations with a newborn in tow.

When Roberts travelled to Prince Albert on May 12 to wait for the arrival of their son, Gemini, she had no idea their stay would be extended because of a wildfire that threatened the tri-communities of La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Her due date was May 22, but she was finally induced on June 2 – the same day everyone was told to immediately evacuate the area.

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“I thought ‘I hope we don’t stay here too long,’ and I was worried that the hotel would be no place for a newborn, but I guess we’re sort of managing it,” said Roberts, who, coincidentally, was pregnant with her first child during the 2015 wildfire evacuations.

After they were allowed to leave Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital, the couple and their newborn were supported by Health Canada’s non-insured health benefits program which provided them transportation, accommodations and meals at the Prince Albert Grand Council’s Spruce Lodge Boarding Home. It is a medically approved facility for First Nations clients who come to Prince Albert to access medical services.

The couple said they’re also thankful for the support they received from one of Roberts’ early childhood education instructors, who gave them a bassinet, Pampers, wipes and some baby clothes.

“We only packed a backpack for him because I thought we were only going to be here for a day or two, so I only packed the essentials… otherwise we had everything waiting at home,” she said. “We thought we were going to be discharged and sent home right away, and it’s been a month and a week now in Prince Albert.”

Tuesday was the last day the couple were permitted to stay at Spruce Lodge, but they managed to secure a hotel room on short notice through the Red Cross. Like thousands of others from the tri-communities, they will now patiently, but eagerly wait until they can return to their Air Ronge home on Thursday.

Sask. Public Safety Agency dealing with ‘backlog’ of evacuees

While a number of evacuees are now able to return home to northern Saskatchewan, there are still many who remain displaced.

As of Tuesday, the Canadian Red Cross was supporting 9,160 individuals and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is helping 860 individuals.

According to Marlo Pritchard, the agency’s president and fire commissioner, additional staff have been brought on to address the influx of evacuees contacting the agency for assistance.

“We’ll continue to do our utmost best and get out those resources, whether they’re food vouchers, financial support, or if there are individuals that have identified they need a hotel. We’re going to get those out,” he said.

Calls are also being triaged based on urgency. Pritchard explained that evacuees who might be staying with friends or family are likely to receive a call back later than someone who is in more urgent need.

–with files from 980 CJME