The McDougall Creek wildfire resiliency centre in West Kelowna will wrap up operations on Nov. 17. (Photo credit: RDCO)

By Pete McIntyre

three months later

Resiliency centre serves over 400 wildfire victims, now ready to close

Nov 16, 2023 | 1:45 PM

The facility that helped people recover from the McDougall Creek wildfire is no longer needed, marking another milestone in the aftermath of the destructive blaze.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) says the McDougall Creek Wildfire Resiliency Centre in West Kelowna is set to wrap up operations on Nov. 17.

The centre opened on August 31, just two weeks after the fire broke out, providing a point of contact to help residents navigate the recovery process.

RDCO said the facility has been an important partnership between the RDCO, Westbank First Nation and the City of West Kelowna, including participating agencies as part of the unmet needs committee.

“Since opening its doors, the resiliency centre has served over 400 individuals and their families, completed 84 unmet needs assessments and conducted more than 700 referrals for immediate supports,” Travis Kendel, Acting Director of RDCO Engineering Services, said “The collaborative efforts of government staff, volunteers, social support organizations and the unmet needs committee have been instrumental in rebuilding lives and facilitating a smoother recovery process.”

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At the peak of operations, there were 12 agencies affiliated with the centre: The Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, WorkBC, Gore Mutual, Intact Insurance, Personal Insurance, St John’s Ambulance, First Nations Emergency Services Society, Disaster Psychosocial Support, Canadian Red Cross, Services Canada and Service BC, many of which provided specific support to impacted residents.

Online resources remain available for reference through rdco.com/recovery.

The RDCO board received a report detailing the centre’s activities at their meeting on Nov. 16.

The McDougall Creek fire was discovered on Aug. 15 and declared held by the BC Wildfire Service on Sept. 20. It resulted in 13,970 hectares burned and 189 properties were damaged or destroyed.