‘It’s a nightmare is what

HRM evacuees hoping for word about their homes

Waiting for word, wondering if their homes were burned to the foundation or were still standing, was the toughest part for many wildfire evacuees.

“We’re just waiting to go back in. Waiting to see if there’s anything left,” said Gino Martin, a Highland Park resident, who was parked near a fire station in Tantallon on Monday morning.

More than 14,000 people were evacuated on Sunday due to a fast-moving wildfire.

“We just grabbed everything we could that we could think of, of value that you need,” said Martin. “The way the wind direction was going, you knew it was going to come to the house.”

In those harried moments, Martin and his partner, Tara Isenor, said they made sure to grab important documents, a computer and their dog.

He said it was crazy getting out of the subdivision and onto Hammonds Plains Road. He stayed in a trailer overnight and she stayed with family. Now they’re playing a waiting game, expecting it will take at least a day or two to find out if their home is still there.

“It’s a nightmare is what it is,” Martin said. “That’s the hard part: Just wondering if it's still there or not.”

AT THE EVACUATION CENTRE

The population at an emergency evacuation centre in Halifax was expected to double Monday night.

Ancel Langille with the Red Cross said they set up Sunday at the Canada Games Centre Sunday at 10:30 p.m., with 10 households (15 people) who stayed the night.

“Right now it looks like our shelter population will have about doubled with about 28 people telling us they’re going to be staying this evening,” he said at about noon Monday. They have capacity into the hundreds.

There’s a general sense of anxiety as people are wondering what is going on, Langille said.

“A lot of people are not going to know the status of their homes right now and I know that must be very difficult for people. We’re doing our best to support them and to provide that comfort until they’re given that official confirmation.”

There are also a lot of evacuees coming in to find out information and not staying. Jess Pike was one of them.

FAMILY MEMENTOS AND MEMORIES AT RISK

Poor old Roxy. Pike’s elderly dog had quite an eventful weekend.

“It’s just a nightmare,” said Pike, who had pulled out a water bowl and a bed for Roxy in the CGC parking lot. “It’s very stressful.”

Pike and her husband sought refuge with their daughter in the city Sunday night, but Roxy’s fragile back legs couldn’t take the tile floors so they arranged to stay with a friend.

“We’ve come (to the CGC) today to see if they had any more up-to-date information about what is happening in the area, what’s on fire and whose houses have gone,” said the Haliburton Hills resident, but information was sparse.

Since they moved to Nova Scotia from the U.K. 17 years ago, they’ve had the same house.

“So there are a lot of memories that we brought with us from the U.K., family photographs and things, if anything was to happen to the house ...

“But you know what? We’re all OK so that’s the main thing.”

TWO BAD VISITS

Jon Mallette’s mom has bad timing.

She visited her son last October, shortly after post-tropical storm Fiona. Now, she’s spending some of the last hours of her visit with him in the evacuation centre before flying home to Ontario.

They laugh about it, and it’s good to laugh because there’s a lot of worry, too.

Mallette lives off Hammonds Plains Road near Yankeetown Road, which has seen some of the worst damage.

“We have no idea what’s going on. We’re checking fire maps and looking for updates on the zones and from the fire chief and trying to get an idea of what the timelines are going to look like to at least see what’s up,” he said.

“That’s the biggest thing right now: not knowing what the situation is over there,” he said.

On Sunday night, after a hasty departure, they went to the comfort centre at Black Point Community Centre.

“There were some super helpful people there. We found a family that was willing to put us up for the night just down the street from there so we actually stayed the night there,” he said.

The friendly atmosphere extends to the evacuation centre at the CGC, he added.

“Everyone’s trying to keep in good spirits,” he said, with his French bulldog named Fox on his lap.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Tables laden with snacks and drinks were laid out in the Canada Games Centre lobby with donations from nonprofits and companies.

Langille said anyone wanting to help can drop off packaged drinks and food at the CGC for evacuees but they’re not accepting homemade food, clothing or household donations.

“And at this time there is no financial program,” he said.

The Disaster Animal Response Team of Nova Scotia is also available at the CGC to provide services for evacuated pets. A spokesperson said they’ve had three dogs in their kennel, with one who stayed overnight. There are also comfort centres set up at the Black Point Community Centre and the Beaver Bank Kinsac Centre, at 1583 Beaver Bank Rd., that aren’t for overnight stays.