Evacuee numbers in Prince George continue to climb, surpassing 8,372 as of late yesterday. The number of evacuees in group lodging at the College of New Caledonia and the Northern Sport Centre remains steady at approximately 700, while the number staying in RVs is just shy of 900. More than 4,500 have found accommodation in private homes, and 750 are in commercial lodging.
Thus far, evacuees have been provided with just over $1 million worth of grocery vouchers through support from Emergency Management BC through the Emergency Reception Centre at CNC. The vouchers provide evacuees with funds to purchase groceries in Prince George, equivalent to $22.50 per person per day.
Laundry Services Begin
The city is working with Spotless Drycleaners and Laundromats to provide laundry services for evacuees who are staying in RVs or in group lodging at the College or Northern Sport Centre. The new system provides these evacuees with a voucher that can be redeemable for one free wash and one free dry cycle per person per week – a family of four, for example, would receive four vouchers per week. Laundry bags are also being provided.
Town Hall tonight
Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall will host another town hall for evacuees tonight. It will be at 5pm at the UNBC Canfor Theatre, with a simulcast to the Northern Sport Centre and to room 1-306 at the College of New Caledonia. Attending in person is recommended if you have questions but the town halls can also be viewed online, through livestreaming. Simply visit www.unbc.ca/livestream to view the town hall, which will feature an update on the Cariboo wildfires and information about services in Prince George for evacuees.
A recording of the last town hall, held on Monday July 17, is at https://video.unbc.ca/channel/Cariboo-Evacuee-TownHalls. Other recordings are at www.princegeorge.ca/CaribooEvacuatiion.
Fire Ban
The heavy smoke in Prince George yesterday served as a good reminder that the City has a fire ban in effect for all recreational fires within city limits. This is in addition to the province-wide fire ban previously announced by the Government of BC.