Dryden CAO Roger Nesbitt
The City of Dryden says they are ready to welcome 100 plus fire evacuees should the province call.
There have been recent concerns of no place to go for potential evacuees
Chief Administrative Officer Roger Nesbitt says they have been working with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board and staff at Open Roads School.
Nesbitt stresses their evacuation plan has been a coordinated effort.
He says municipal evacuation support efforts have been aided by the Dryden Native Friendship Centre, Dryden Rotary Club and Dryden Area Young Professionals Network.
“The model the City and the Loomex Group have put in place is working very well. It reduces the pressure of evacuation support on municipal resources and provides a more sustainable response. The Loomex team is extremely effective and efficient.”, says Nesbitt
The Loomex Group operates the Dryden Regional Airport and Nesbitt calls it an excellent relationship.
The municipality has been acting as a ‘Transportation Hub’ for the better part of two weeks, coordinating the flow of people through the Airport.
Nesbitt adds, “I want to thank everyone that’s supporting the evacuation efforts including our own staff and the Loomex team. Especially our own staff at the Airport and Dryden Fire Service. They have been heavily involved in supporting these efforts.”
More than 3,000 people have now been evacuated across the northwest due to raging forest fires burning dangerously close to various communities.
Government sources say as many as 5,000 more from there and other communities may have to be evacuated if the forest fire situation worsens.
