On Monday, Aug. 20, blue skies shone overhead at the Canadian National (CN) Centre evacuation site in Prince George, and a sense of relief was in the air for the first time in days.

Under the white awning tent, Della Shade and her colleagues from Tsow Tun Le Lum Society smudged both wildfire evacuees and FNHA staff who visited the Cultural Support team. The morning sun filled the space with golden light and the smell of sage drifted across the road.

At the evacuation centre's main entrance, kennels stood open waiting for the animals that required pet-sitting as their owners registered for emergency social services.

The FNHA Northern regional team has been on-site at the evacuation centre throughout the wildfire crisis to provide navigation support and to ensure that families and individuals can access the support services available to them. With each evacuation order, the CN Centre continues to receive waves of people and the FNHA team is there to provide whatever support they can.

As the wildfire situation expanded rapidly these past couple of weeks, a table was set up to help answer questions and support community members to navigate through the emergency system, provide support items such as gas cards and city maps, and explain where free services are being offered in town.

Members of the FNHA nursing team also arrived at the scene to provide clinical and mental health support. The FNHA has also brought in traditional healers and drum groups to support evacuees' spiritual wellness, and children's art therapy is taking place on site to ensure that all family members are provided with care that supports their individual needs.

On the ground, the situation can change rapidly and the Northern regional team is working as one family to ensure that displaced families and community members are receiving supports and services in a timely manner.

Last weekend, a distraught Elder who suffered from asthma was beginning to panic. Della and her associate Bruce were called over and found a private space where they used traditional healing methods to comfort the elderly woman. Within moments, they were able to calm her and she was able to breathe.

At one point, nursing team member Cynthia Russell brought a firefighter over to the Cultural Support tent, where he was smudged and said in appreciation, "I felt something. Thank you." It shows that stress affects everyone, including support staff.

Many FNHA nursing team members have been supporting the communities they work with throughout the transition from evacuation alert to full evacuation, providing coordination and ongoing primary care services. In addition, Tammy Rogers, Regional Nurse Manager, gathered supplies such as diapers and dropped them off for those in need.

The FNHA's partnership with communities has been crucial. In particular, the nursing team has worked closely with Carrier Sekani Family Services to support displaced community members. Tammy Rogers shared that, "The Carrier Sekani Family Services is on top of things too. The nurse manager, Judith Sandford, has organized homecare for not only their 12 communities but others in need as well. With medical office assistants and electronic medical records, the continuity of care is seamless and almost as good as being at home. As always, caring for people comes first."

As the week progresses, the blue skies have fallen back behind smoke, yet the resilience and culture of those on the ground has continued to lift the spirits of those in need.