Elder Diane Richmond Assists in Welcoming Evacuees

Written by admin on 21 July 2011

Thank you! to Elder Diane Richmond for providing all details/info for this article. If you’d like to share your experiences of life on the Northshore or in Greenstone, write Karina Hunter at Editor@OntarioNewsNorth.com

A young Sandy Lake resident in the foreground, Marathon volunteers and emergency services personnel stand by. Photo by Diane Richmond.

Evacuees arrive in Marathon. Photo by Diane Richmond

Smiling volunteers were no doubt a comfort to evacuees. Photo by Diane Richmond

MARATHON, ON– Wednesday, July 20th local Elder Diane Richmond received a call from the Marathon Town Office requesting she assist in welcoming 200 evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation expected to arrive around 10pm.

At 9:30pm, Richmond headed to the Marathon Recreation Centre Arena where the Marathon Emergency Management Control Group, Town and Fire Department staff and local volunteers were waiting for the evacuees to arrive by bus. “I was very impressed with what I saw” said Richmond explaining that ” They had set up a pillow, sleeping bag and cot, given by the Red Cross, [for each evacuee staying at the Arena], the area where people would sleep was sectioned as much as possible with dividers and there were so many, many volunteers.” Richmond then spoke briefly with Mayor Rick Dumas to explain her role in the arrival and said he seemed please that she would be there to greet the Sandy Lake residents. Richmond took the opportunity, as evacuees had not yet begun to arrive, to speak with Emergency and Fire Department personnel as well as volunteers on site.

A fleet of volunteers registered evacuees and provided them with care bags from the Canadian Red Cross. Photo by Diane Richmond

The evacuees leave equipped to face the days ahead. Photo by Diane Richmond

Mark, Owner of Rover's Restaurant, serves food at the Zero-100 Hotel. Photo by Diane Richmond

People then began arriving. Immediately off the bus evacuees enterred the complex where they registered before meeting their hosts. Richmond sprung into action, eager to welcome the evacuees eager to make them feel at ease before they would be back on busses destined for the Zero-100 where they were fed a good meal. “The visitors were very tired” explained Richmond “there where many children, youth and fairly young people. The elderly and sick were put up in hotels.”

Thank you to Elder Diane Richmond for sharing details of the arrival of Marathon’s special guests. If you would like to volunteer contact the Town of Marathon at 229-1340; keep reading OntarioNewsNorth.com for details of the Forest Fires, Northshore & Grenstone communities hosting Northwestern Ontario forest fire evacuees and Public Announcements from those in charge.