Aug. 17, 2017

Crisis Response Advisor Julie Morrison discusses evacuation support in Prince George

Julie Morrison, Crisis Response Advisor for the North Region, has been FNHA's primary contact at the Prince George evacuation centre during the current wildfire crisis, providing on-the-ground support through many challenging and emotionally charged situations.

The North Region team's primary role during the crisis is to provide navigation support to ensure that families and individuals can access the support services available to them. These services include physician, nursing and paramedic triage on site; registration with Red Cross emergency support; information on accommodations and free amenities provided by various organizations; and wellness and counselling support.

In the first three hours of operation, FNHA North Region staff engaged with more than 75 First Nations community members, arriving from the interior. Since then, the number has gone up and down depending on community evacuations and highway accessibility.

"At its busiest, a lot of people were walking around and trying to find their way through the system," says Julie. "People were being really strong, considering the chaos in their life at the time." In those early days, the evacuation centre was frequently packed with people, often sitting in chairs lining the hallways, waiting in long queues for information.

Unsurprisingly, many of the people who come to the centre are in shock, rushed from their homes and unsure of how the situation will unfold. Julie and the team make a point to check in with evacuees to find out how they're doing and what supports they might need. "Our people weren't asking the questions they needed to ask," says Julie, noting that it's not always clear to evacuees what services are available or who they can contact to get help.

From processing emergency identification to filling forgotten prescriptions, the necessary details and paperwork of displacement can pose an extra challenge when many are already overwhelmed with the stress of the situation. Julie shares many stories about the kinds of challenges and mistakes that can easily occur under intense pressure.

"One woman had packed her bags when they were on alert, packed by the door, but she grabbed the wrong one. It was a bag of vegetables!" Another man was in such a rush to evacuate that he only grabbed a couple changes of clothing. When situations like this occur, Julie and the rest of the regional team problem solve on the spot to ensure that evacuees receive the supplies and services they may need.

Elders have an especially difficult time, as many don't use online banking or email—essential to accessing emergency funds and supports. "One woman, I set her up with an email, but she didn't speak English—she only speaks her language," Julie said, reflecting on a particularly difficult situation. Luckily, with the help of the Elder's daughter who could translate, Julie was able to set up online services and support the woman to access the Red Cross support.

Helping people contact their families was another common challenge for the regional team. On one of the days, Julie spoke with a women who was dealing with significant shock from the evacuation. While checking in on her, Julie realized that the woman was not with her family, did not have a phone and had no way of notifying them of where she was staying. "I sat down to talk with her. Her kids didn't know where she was, they wouldn't have a clue." Julie was able to support simply by offering to text her children for her to let them know where she was and that she was safe.

Despite the challenges and some painful meetings, Julie emphasizes how rewarding the work is and how incredible her team and other volunteers have been. When asked what she would say to other staff about the crisis, Julie doesn't hesitate. "I think anyone who has an opportunity to work in an evacuation centre should seize that opportunity and see how resilient people can be."

We raise our hands to Julie and the North Region team, along with our Interior Region team and all frontline staff, for their incredible care and problem solving under pressure.