July 9, 2013 ACCESS SOON FOR WALLACEVILLE/HAMPTONS RESIDENTS High River residents of the 42 units in The Willows will have access to their homes on Tuesday, July 9, at 3 p.m. after an assessment team found them safe to enter. “I know these residents have been anxious to be able to see their homes and belongings,” said Associate Minister of Regional Recovery and Reconstruction for High River Rick Fraser. “We are working hard to make this happen, with a priority on keeping them all safe.” Emergency operations officials will contact all other residents to set up an appointment for an escorted visit to their homes. All residents from both the Hamptons and Wallaceville whose current phone numbers are not on the registration list are asked to: Visit the Welcome Centre between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, to provide contact information to Emergency Operations staff; or Call the EOC contact centre at 403-652-6960. Two Special Operations Teams from the County of Strathcona arrived in town early Monday, July 8, and soon began assessing the structural integrity of homes in the Wallaceville and Hamptons areas aeas which have remained under an evacuation order. Starting with areas that appeared to be easily accessible, and working with engineers and other experts, they quickly determined that residents of The Willows would be able to enter their homes to begin the cleanup process, although there are still no services in the buildings. However, most residents in the remaining homes in both neighbourhoods will be escorted individually by Special Operations team members so that they are safe both getting through the neighbourhood and into their residences. Homes will be categorized as: Can be entered safely by a resident. Residents may be able to begin cleanup or can at least gather some of their personal belongings; Can be entered safely by a resident with a Special Operations technician; Can only be entered safely by a Special Operations technician; or Cannot be entered at this time. For these residents, teams will arrange to take them to see the outside of their homes. Emergency Operations Centre Incident Commander Darrell Reid thanks residents for their support and patience as this staged access plan unfolds.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:28:31 +0000