‘Disappointed, disgusted:’ Lytton evacuee unimpressed with B.C.’s funding announcement
Posted November 7, 2021 11:59 am.
Last Updated November 7, 2021 4:42 pm.
Denise O’Connor fled Lytton on June 30, watching in her rearview mirror as fire engulfed the village, and destroyed her home. For her, news of financial support from the province for evacuees is too little too late.
“We looked back we couldn’t see the town. The plume of smoke and ash, the blackness, it was unbelievable. We knew our town was gone. And that was like minutes, you know?” O’Connor recalls.
120 days ago the house I grew up in was destroyed. Photo is from the day we sifted. I'm a little biased, but in my opinion my parents have the best view in town.
I'm optimistic that #Lytton will one day rise from its ashes.@jjhorgan @mikefarnworthbc @tegart_jackie @deed5 pic.twitter.com/HDbtYJXe2Y— Sarah (@sarlobro) October 28, 2021
Acting on pure adrenaline, O’Connor says she feels lucky she had enough time to go in and grab a few of their things, noting she knows a lot of her neighbors had to flee with nothing.
Since the shock of that night, O’Connor says her emotions have run the gamut. But what she describes as a lack of communication and support from all levels of government continues to frustrate her.
RELATED: ‘We are all in pain’: Lytton councillor pleads for patience as village devastated by wildfire looks to rebuild
On Sunday, Emergency Management B.C. announced that residents who were affected by wildfires this season will receive $1,300 per month, starting in December to help them with housing.
“I hadn’t realized there’s actually been an announcement about it,” O’Connor said when contacted by CityNews.
“I mean, it’s nearly four and a half months after the fire, and finally the province is stepping up with something we asked for back on July 30. We have been displaced this whole time. I’m still just so disappointed and disgusted with the province, in their lack of response earlier than this.”
RELATED:‘Smiles, hugs, tears:’ Volunteers at site of Lytton wildfire retrieving mementos, valuables from wreckage
O’Connor spent the first few weeks in a hotel in Kamloops, then moved to an Airbnb in Merritt, before finally going to stay with her daughter in Quesnel.
“I went through a huge phase of just being very angry, just angry at everything — angry at the system angry about just not knowing. There was just was no communication. We had no idea what was going on. Nobody ever reached out to ask how we were doing, and still haven’t really,” she says.
“For a long time there everything I owned I could fit in my car. It took me a long time to go out and buy things because I didn’t know where I was going to be living or where I was going to go.”
Still, she counts herself as lucky compared to some others in the community. Her home was insured, and she’s retired.
“There’s so many people that had no insurance, and I just can’t imagine what that’s like for them. There’s absolutely nothing. So many of them that were employed don’t have a job because their work burned down. I just can’t imagine.”
On Oct. 27, Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth announced the appointment of two parliamentary secretaries to act as “recovery liaisons” between the province and the village.
“Starting immediately, the parliamentary secretaries will strengthen lines of communication with the mayor and council of the Village of Lytton. They will listen to the feedback that is provided to the village by residents and will bring this information back to government through the cabinet working group on wildfire recovery,” he said in a statement.
“Right now, the Province needs to support the village in ensuring that residents are heard, and that people are safe and supported over the winter months.”
Earlier in October, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reported it had not found evidence that rail activity sparked the fire that tore through the Village and nearby First Nation. While the TSB has determined a train was likely not the cause of the fire, it has not pinpointed the origin of the flames. The investigation into the cause is still being done by the RCMP and the BC Wildfire Service.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, 8,682 square kilomteres were scorched between April 1, and Sept 30. The 1,610 wildfires triggered 181 evacuation orders and 304 evacuation alerts. The total cost of fighting the fires was about $565 million.
