Portage la Prairie is once again stepping up to support northern Manitobans fleeing wildfires, with the city now receiving evacuees from St. Theresa Point First Nation.
“In the last few hours, we did receive notice that we are receiving evacuees from St. Theresa Point into our community,” says Mayor Sharilyn Knox, in a post on social media. “They will all have rooms. There's 116 people, families. We're not sure exactly how many families that 116 make up, but we will welcome them into Portage and make sure that they have what they need.”
Knox explains that the response is being led at the provincial level.
“It's the Department of Families that's leading this evacuation process,” she adds. “We as the city are just supporting that.”
This marks the second time in recent weeks that Portage has taken in evacuees. In June, the community provided shelter to over 250 people, using the Portage Curling Club and local hotels.
The mayor says the city is ready to help however it can.
“We welcome these people with open arms,” continues Knox. “They're in a very difficult situation, so we will make sure that we help as much as we can.”
The evacuation from St. Theresa Point comes as wildfires continue to burn across northern Manitoba. More than 6,000 people have been forced from their homes provincewide, with Lynn Lake, Snow Lake, and Garden Hill among the hardest hit.
The federal Incident Response Group is meeting in Ottawa to coordinate national efforts, while Manitoba remains under a provincewide state of emergency.
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