ESS reception centre at Kal Tire Place. (Vernon Matters photo)

By Pete McIntyre

2,400 evacuees helped

Vernon closes reception centre for fire evacuees

Aug 31, 2023 | 2:15 PM

After two weeks of assisting fire evacuees, the City of Vernon has shut down its emergency support services (ESS) reception centre at Kal Tire Place.

The centre opened August 17 after fires in the Central Okanagan started raging, and thousands of residents were evacuated.

Since then, the program assisted over 2,400 evacuees, mostly from West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, and nearby areas.

“This is slightly fewer than the nearly 3,000 evacuees who were helped at Vernon’s reception centre during the six-week period of the 2021 White Rock Lake wildfire,” a city news release stated. “This exceptional response is possible thanks in large part to the efforts of a strongly dedicated team of volunteers.”

The city is thanking all the volunteers, staff members, local service providers and community organizations that helped make the reception centre possible, saying they provided “caring and compassionate service for those who have faced incredibly difficult circumstances.”

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“A thank you banner, provided by Wayside, is now at Kal Tire Place. It’s there for community members to express their appreciation and gratitude to emergency responders and ESS volunteers,” the city stated.

The centre officially shut its doors at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.

“Residents are asked to contact their respective municipal, regional district or First Nation’s office if they need further ESS assistance, or if they have questions related to the status of evacuation orders or alerts, re-entry plans or community recovery efforts,” the city said.