Properties damaged by the White Rock Lake wildfire (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Damage Assessments Underway

White Rock Lake fire damage assessments expected to be done by Thursday

Sep 1, 2021 | 11:31 AM

The Regional District of Central Okanagan’s (RDCO) Rapid Damage Assessment Team is working to complete the assessments of damage caused to neighbourhoods by the White Rock Lake wildfire by Thursday.

The risk assessments will determine when residents can return to their properties and begin to recover and rebuild. The RDCO warns not all residents will be able to return at the same time as the impacts of the wildfire vary from one neighbourhood to the next.

“We are eager to safely return residents to their homes,” says Emergency Operations Centre director Corie Giffiths.

“We encourage residents to watch the returning home information session this evening to understand the safe return home processes, what they might expect when returning home and how to access recovery services.”

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Recording of the event will be posted to the RDCO’s Youtube channel for future reference.

The session will include updates from the RDCO, BC Hydro, Interior Health, Telus, Canadian Mental Health Association, EMBC Recovery, Red Cross, and the B.C. Conservation Service.

Along with offering the virtual Information Session, RDCO’s Emergency Operations Centre is preparing a returning home guide for evacuees to refer to prior to returning home. The guide and other resources can be found at the Emergency Operations Centre’s website.

While recent cooler temperatures and precipitation have supported firefighting efforts, the White Rock Lake fire is still classified as out of control, and it’s still unclear when people will be able to return to their properties.