myfortmcmurray

Red Cross – Help when you get home

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Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash

The information in this section are taken from the Red Cross website Help when you get home. The original source can be found here.

1.How much money will the Red Cross provide?

The Canadian Red Cross will be providing additional financial assistance to help support re-entry needs of the people evacuated due to the wildfires in Alberta. This could include the purchase of basic household items as individuals and families return home after being evacuated for weeks. Each household will receive:

  • $300 per household/individual
  • $50 for each additional person in the household

2.How do I get this money? 

Evacuees who require this additional financial assistance must already be registered with the Canadian Red Cross. If you have not yet registered with the Canadian Red Cross, you can register by calling 1-888-350-6070.

Upon re-entry to Fort McMurray and its surrounding areas, those who wish to claim the additional financial assistance must identify themselves and provide their registration details at an information centre. After re-entry, households will be eligible to receive the additional financial assistance. This will be provided primarily through an electronic transfer of funds.

There will be eight information centres located throughout the Fort McMurray area. They include:

Please note, information centres will open depending on their zone, and the zone re-entry date.

3.How long will it take to get my money?

Financial assistance will be available after re-entering. Please be patient as you wait for these funds. It will be provided through an electronic transfer of funds as soon as possible.

4.Why $300 per household and $50 per person in each household?

Based on our experience working in disasters, this amount helps individuals and families as they begin the process of re-entering their homes. It can help to purchase basic household supplies such as additional cleaning products, groceries, personal hygiene items, etc.

It’s important to remember these funds do not reflect the total amount of assistance that will be provided by the Canadian Red Cross in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Where are the information centres?

There will be eight information centres located throughout Fort McMurray. They include:

Please note, information centres will open depending on their zone, and the zone re-entry date.

Details regarding information centres are also available online through accessing the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Re-Entry Information Booklet.

5.How do I know which information centre to go to?

As the municipality declares different zones clear for re-entry, information centres will open within these areas.  Please go to the information centre open nearest to you in your area.

6.What are the hours of operation for the information centres?

The information centres will be open from 8 A.M. – 8 P.M.

7.How long will the information centres be open? 

For now, the information centres are scheduled to be open for the duration of the re-entry period set out by the municipality, which is June 1-June 15. The Red Cross is ready to provide assistance for as long as we are needed in the weeks, months, and years to come.

8.What’s included in the clean-up kit? 

  • One – 5 gallon bucket with re-usable lid
  • One  – 20 oz. cotton wet mop head
  • One – 14” palmyra  push broom head
  • One – 14” floor squeegee head
  • One – 54” four-section metal handles (for broom and mop heads)
  • One – 9” palmyra capped sweep head
  • One – 7” scrub brush
  • Two – cellulose sponges
  • One pair – leather palm work gloves
  • Two pairs – household rubber gloves
  • One – N95 respiratory mask
  • Ten – heavy duty garbage bags
  • One litre – bleach-based all-purpose  cleaner

9.What’s included in the hygiene kit?

All hygiene kits are unisex and include the following:

  • One – tube of toothpaste (20 ml)
  • One  – toothbrush
  • One bottle – body wash (75 ml)
  • One  bottle – shampoo wash (75 ml)
  • One – comb (7”)
  • One – stick of deodorant (15-30 g)
  • One – pack of tissues (10 tissues)
  • One – plastic bag

10.What’s in the “after-fire” kit?

  • One – full release smoke odor fogger
  • One – Tap-A-Drop .5 ounce concentrated liquid deodorizer for washing machine
  • Two pairs – leather palm work gloves
  • 3mil Contractor Garbage Bags (10 each)
  • One – Rayovac DIYAAA Indestructible Flashlight with 3-AAA batteries included
  • Duracell 4-pack AAA Batteries
  • One – Sani-Wipes 5”x8” Surface Antibacterial Wipe
  • One – Empty Plastic Spray Bottle with Trigger Spray – 32 ounce
  • One – Bully 2 Cleaner – 32 ounce bottle all-purpose cleaner/disinfectant
  • Toilet Paper (One Roll)
  • Two pairs – Blue Nitrile Exam Style Gloves
  • Two pairs – unisex safety glasses – clear lens
  • One – Canadian Red Cross Drawstring Backpack

11. How do I access the Fire Recovery Guide?

12.Is this all the money I will receive from the Red Cross for re-entry?

Should you have any unmet needs upon returning home, please visit an information centre where Red Cross personnel will perform a confidential one-on-one personal assessment to see how we can meet your needs moving forward.

13.What if my entire family isn’t coming back at once? Will I still get all the money based on how many people are in my household?

Yes. The amount received will be reflective of the household details in our database when you registered with the Red Cross following the evacuation.

14.Will the Red Cross provide food and water for my family when we return back to Fort McMurray? 

Those returning should purchase and pack enough supplies for you and your family to be self-sufficient for up to 14 days. This includes essential items such as food.

15.Where will I stay if I can’t live in my house?

Hotels and temporary accommodations are extremely limited in Fort McMurray at this time. Please ensure you have a safe place to stay before confirming your return travel back to the area you evacuated from.

If you have immediate unmet needs, please visit an information centre where Red Cross personnel will perform a confidential one-on-one personal assessment to see how we can meet your needs moving forward. Red Cross personnel may also provide you the necessary resources and links within the community.

16.Will the Red Cross provide interim housing solutions?

If you have immediate unmet needs, please visit an information centre where Red Cross personnel will perform a confidential one-on-one personal assessment to see how we can meet your needs moving forward. Red Cross personnel may also provide you the necessary resources and links within the community.

17.Will the Red Cross help vulnerable groups such as the elderly or those with health issues clean their home?

The Canadian Red Cross will provide the necessary equipment for returning residents to clean their homes. Vulnerable individuals requiring additional assistance can visit an information centre where Red Cross personnel can assess needs on a case-by-case basis.

18. What services will be available in the community when I return home?

All essential services will be available. For more information, please visit the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo website.

19.If my “zone” is not cleared to go home yet, can I go back with my RV and camp in a zone that is cleared? 

Decisions to return home are voluntary. The Canadian Red Cross is providing support services to the province and municipality as they work to re-open Fort McMurray and its surrounding areas.