As fires continue to devastate British Columbia, United Way is mobilizing efforts through United for B.C. Wildfire Recovery, a national initiative preparing for the recovery and rebuilding of communities across the province.
Funds will go towards important social needs like finding permanent housing, food assistance, trauma and mental health supports, and rebuilding social infrastructure once the fires die down and residents return home.
“The devastating fires have affected so many,” said Linda Yule, North Okanagan United Way executive director.
“With tinder dry conditions everywhere, and already a terrible fire in Okanagan Centre, we hope that we don’t see further devastation in our region. We are preparing to mobilize should we need to and learning from the amazing efforts of volunteers and agencies in neighbouring regions.”
People can support United for B.C. Wildfire Recovery by making a donation or signing up to volunteer for recovery efforts at www.unitedforbcwildfires.ca.
United Way’s information and referral initiative, bc211.ca, has recently expanded to cover the entire province with live web-chat and enhanced, centralized wildfire information to augment current communication channels to support the immediate needs of those in crisis.