The Kamloops Emergency Support Services team has once again stepped up to support residents from neighbouring communities that were impacted by floods or fires and needed to evacuate. The Emergency Support Services operation is supported by community volunteers who donate their time and help plan for the well-being of their neighbours and fellow citizens in the event of a disaster. Over 100 volunteers and staff were involved in the operations this spring and summer.

Emergency Support Services is a provincial program that provides short-term assistance to British Columbians in need of emergency support who are forced to leave their homes because of fire, flood, earthquake, or other emergencies. This assistance includes food, lodging, clothing, emotional support, and family reunification.

This year, the Kamloops Emergency Support Services team set up a reception centre, May 3–25, 2023, in support of individuals evacuated from Cache Creek as a result of flooding in their community. Volunteers contributed over 1,000 hours and helped over 130 evacuees during the three weeks.

On July 17, 2023, the Emergency Support Services reception centre was reopened for a week to support approximately 100 evacuees from the Ross Moore Lake, Casper Creek, and Downton Lake fires. The Emergency Support Services team continued to provide services to evacuees from these areas on an on-call basis for the remainder of July and the beginning of August.

On August 17, 2023, in response to various surrounding community being place under evacuation orders the reception centre reopened and remained open until September 22. During this time, the team supported over 3,500 evacuees. The reception centre remained open almost every day during the five weeks of operation, and volunteers contributed 7,854 hours.

Several agencies were also involved in supporting evacuees at the reception centre during the spring and summer, including St. John Ambulance, First Nations Emergency Support Services, Secwépemc Health, Salvation Army, Service BC, Service Canada, the Provincial Health Authority’s Disaster Psychosocial Services Program, First Nation Health Authority, Samaritans Purse, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the United Way, and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

To learn more about Emergency Support Services and volunteering, visit Kamloops.ca/ESS.