A couple who moved to the West Dalhousie area, NS, this year and is about to welcome their first child are among the people who have lost their homes due to the long fire of the lake out of control.
Although the total number of homes destroyed by the fire in Annapolis County is not yet known, the municipality contacts the owners of confirmed losses.
Meghan Yelland and Michael Zeaman, who had just set a nursery in their home, received the devastating news after a stressful weekend when Hurricane winds Erin fed the fire.
“It was just a disaster. We had been tracking the storm. Saturday [the fire] It was five kilometers from the house and then, when the hurricane’s tail arose, he simply flew it directly to our property, “Yelland told CBC News.
Yelland, who is two weeks after his expiration date, said people were receiving calls on the loss of property. When the county initially contacted her, they told her that the people who had suffered as many damage were first called. Three hours later, a county representative called to say that they needed to see her the next day. That was when she and Zeaman learned that her house was gone.
The couple, both health workers, moved to the area from Montreal earlier this year to live in the house of their dreams and start a family. Now they face having to rebuild almost everything.
Yelland said he is trying to keep calm and stay focused on what is to come.
Love, support and family
“We have worked with people in the worst days of their lives, we have taken our hands with family members as they have said goodbye. We have been there for people in devastating times. For us, he is really fulfilling the fact that you can overcome anything whenever you have love, support and family,” said Yelland.
Since he received the news, Yelland and Zeaman said they have seen a lot of support, from the Canadian Red Cross to the Salvation Army, the teams that fight against fire and others in the community.
“We came here to start a family. We wanted a place that welcomed us and felt like a community and this has really shown us that we found the right place,” said Yelland.
Lack of temporary housing
Jonathan Gillis, president of West Dalhouse Community Hall, said fire evacuates have been dealing with the lack of temporary housing options available in the community.
More than 1,000 residents have been evacuated due to Long Lake Fire, which began on August 13.
Gillis said people have been contacting him directly to get help to find places to stay.
“They told us in the first days … this is going to be a day or two, because they were not sure what was happening, so people took one or two things of one day,” he said.
“Now we are realizing that this will be more a terrible permanent experience, and this is huge for people.”
Gillis said some accommodations such as motels are already reserved. A man and his 93 -year -old were looking for a place after they told him that his motel room would soon be necessary for another reserve, he said.
But Gillis said that not everyone has the financial means to pay the accommodation as a motel.
Modular houses, necessary literary houses
He also helped a single mother who slept in a tent with her two children, a cat and a dog.
“We have found a semi -permanent accommodation for about 18 or 19 people, of which we are quite proud,” said Gillis, who has also been cooking and serving meals to evacuees and firefighters.
Gillis said he would like to see modular houses or literas brought to the community to help those who need a place to stay. The officials of the Natural Resources Department have said that the fire is likely to burn in the coming weeks.
“We have schools from next week. I have families worried about that,” said Gillis, who had to evacuate his own home with his wife and three children.
