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August, 2003
The summer of 2003 was the driest summer on record in British Columbia. Kelowna set a record of 44 days without precipitation.
A series of human errors and lightning strikes had more than 800 separate forest fires burning. It was the worst fire season recorded in history. Forest fires in the Okanagan region, specifically the Kelowna area, were devastating.
With hundreds of homes destroyed and millions of dollars of property lost, the Okanagan forest fire, called the Mountain Park Fire, was one of the costliest natural disasters Canada has experienced.
The cost of fire fighting alone was a staggering $550 million dollars. In 30 days, the fire burned 25,600 hectares (63,258 acres) with such ferocity and unpredictability that for weeks, a large number of residents of Kelowna and area were either displaced or on constant evacuation alert. Fortunately, no one was killed.
This is the story.
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Recovery
A free public lecture entitled "MORE THAN JUST SURVIVING: RESTORING PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AFTER THE FIRES" will be given by Dr. Lynne Zettl and Dr. Edward Josephs, directors of the Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research and Education on November 11th, 2003.
The lecture will include practical methods for dealing with the psychological and physiological effects in the aftermath of the fire.
It is not uncommon for people to have psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, mood swings, irritability, memory impairment and relationship difficulties) and physical symptoms (gastrointestinal distress, headaches, asthma, neck and back pain, insomnia) appear months or even years after a major traumatic event such as a fire.
As well communities hit by a disaster often see an increase in substance abuse, violent and nonviolent crime, and divorce.
Red Cross Fire Response
The Red Cross has been working in cooperation with government agencies and non-governmental organizations to ensure basic, unmet needs are taken care of for families and individuals affected by fires in the BC Southern Interior this past summer.
To date, 520 households in Kelowna and Barriere/Mclure areas have come to the Red Cross for assistance. $400,000 in-kind gifts have been donated for fire relief and recovery efforts. $2.9 million in cash has been donated to the Red Cross BC Forest Fire Response Fund.
The agency has spent $1.2 million so far, $850,000 in vouchers for clothing, fuel, occupational and school supplies, medical equipment, prescriptions, appliances and furniture.
Over 600 Red Cross volunteers have responded to this disaster since it began. The Kelowna and Area Okanagan Fire Recovery Trust Fund is mailing a $1,000 cheque to all 238 families and renters who lost their homes in the fire. An additional $600,000 to $750,000 will be distributed incoming months. The fund is accepting requests for assistance until January 30th, 2004.


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