People who have properties in the Central Okanagan impacted by the McDougall Creek wildfire will now be able to check if their property is one of those where structures were damaged.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre has launched an online search tool for residents of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Central Okanagan West Electoral Area who were evacuated due to the wildfire.
There are 84 properties in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation that suffered damage as a result of the wildfire, and 90 in the RDCO’s West electoral area. To date, three of the four owners of properties that suffered damage in Kelowna and three properties in Lake Country have been contacted and these properties are not included in the search tool.
The tool only applies for residents who had a property placed on evacuation order, and the general public not on order are asked to be respectful and not currently use the tool, which can be accessed by going to www.cordemergency.ca/propertyinfo.
The data is based on work done by the Canada Task Force 1 Team on assessing and identifying properties that were damaged by the wildfires.Further hazard assessments must now be completed at each property, to determine the number and types of structures lost on each property.
The City of Kelowna and District of Lake Country have both completed the public notification process according to the EOC.
READ MORE: ‘Incremental improvements’ on McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna
“Some of the most challenging days are ahead. People and communities will learn of monumental loss. This will be a process of grief collectively. As we move into recovery, the needs of each impacted community will be different,” said Loyal Wooldridge, Regional District of Central Okanagan Chairperson.
“Communities have experienced great impacts and losses and will take more time to recover. I am confident that our collective resilience will guide us forward,” Wooldridge said. “Let us honour the sacrifice and efforts made by so many over the past few days by confronting these challenges with unity and compassion. United as a region, we will recover, rebuild and restore.”
The fire is currently at an estimated 12,318 hectares in size, according to BC Wildfire Service. Aerial support was able to resume on Aug. 23 thanks to higher visibility.
Residents on evacuation order are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services at https://ess.gov.bc.cao to ensure contact information for any affected property owners is up to date.
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