The Rural Municipality of Piney says it is struggling to keep track of evacuees after many residents failed to register at the emergency reception centre in Piney. Reeve Wayne Anderson says some people left without informing authorities, complicating efforts to manage evacuation logistics and hotel accommodations.
"A lot of people left before the firefighters came to the door," says Anderson. "We don't know who they are or where they went." He says that has created quite a challenge as they are now trying to track down everyone who failed to register.
The Piney Hall Reception Centre remains open during the day and continues to provide food and shelter to evacuees.
According to the municipality, evacuees are being directed to register at the Piney Community Centre, located at 5017 Highway 89. The reception centre can be reached at 204-423-2332, while the RM office is available at 204-437-2284. Residents who have evacuated are encouraged to contact these numbers to ensure their information is on file, allowing the municipality to keep them updated on fire developments and possible return timelines.
Anderson emphasizes the importance of registering, saying it ensures evacuees can receive financial assistance for food and hotel accommodations. "It's to keep track of all the costs involved," he says. "People are entitled to a certain small amount of money for food while they're away and a hotel room, but they have to go to certain hotels."
Hotels had not been prepaid
The municipality had directed evacuees to several hotels, with costs to be covered by the Province. However, Anderson says the arrangement has not gone as planned. "People arrived at the hotels, and the hotels said the rooms weren't prepaid," he says. "There's millions of small details that are missed."
According to the R.M. of Piney’s Facebook page, in addition to housing, evacuees are also eligible for meal reimbursement of $34 per day for those over 12 and $27 for those under 12. Those affected are urged to keep all receipts and complete the required online form to access these supports.
Province asks for more firefighters
Manitoba has requested an additional 80 firefighters through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to assist with ongoing efforts. The municipality is urging residents to avoid fire zones and stay off closed roads to allow emergency responders to work effectively.
As for mail, Canada Post has redirected all Woodridge-area mail to the La Broquerie post office until further notice.
At 6:20pm on Thursday, the R.M. of Piney reported that “Manitoba Wildfire Services has informed us that the fire is holding at Fireguard 10A, 3.2 kilometers east of Woodridge, and crews are focusing on the hot spots near the Woodridge dump. Three helicopters are in the air and dozers are making progress near the Badger area.”
-With files from Kenton Dyck and Shannon Dueck.