Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will help its northern neighbours in every way possible as they flee for their lives from wildfires..Fox Creek, Red Deer, Valleyview and the City of Calgary will all accept Yellowknife evacuees.."I want to express my deepest sympathies to all the families who have been forced from their homes in the Northwest Territories due to the ongoing wildfires," Smith told the Western Standard in a statement Thursday.."Alberta knows all too well how difficult these situations can be and we are prepared to help our northern neighbours in every way possible." .Smith said Alberta will be hosting thousands of evacuees across the province.."We are also working to ensure information is available online at alberta.ca for NWT evacuees and we are setting up a hotline for evacuees so that they can have a single point of contact to get information on the resources available in Alberta," Smith said.."Alberta has a strong relationship with the NWT and our province will continue to support their emergency response.".The City of Calgary also says it is stepping up to help accommodate residents of NWT who have been evacuated due to wildfires..The Calgary Emergency Management Agency said on Thursday it has activated the Municipal Emergency Plan to allow better coordination in accepting and accommodating displaced residents..The City is committed to helping as many as 5,000 people find shelter and additional support as the firefight in the north continues.."We understand these are difficult times for the people who are fleeing to escape the fires," Director of Emergency Management and Community Safety Iain Bushell said.."We want to ensure that when they arrive in Calgary, they have access to accommodations, amenities, government services and mental health supports.".The city said it has opened up a reception centre at the Calgary International Airport as many of the evacuated are expected by plane..For those who have driven to Calgary, there will be a reception centre at the Westin Calgary Airport after 2 p.m. The reception centres will include emotional and wellness support teams..Additionally, the city is working with its partners and City shelters to accommodate pets with shelter or supplies as needed..In addition to helping those displaced, Calgary has also dispatched 10 personnel as an incident management team from Canada Task Force 2 – an all-hazards disaster response team..It is based out of Calgary and said it is dedicated to emergency response, incident management, and urban search and rescue capabilities. The team is a partnership between The City of Calgary, the UCP government and the Government of Canada..The city said please do not bring any donations to the reception centres in Calgary.."We are not set up to take donations and get them to those who could benefit," the City of Calgary stated.."Many people may be feeling overwhelmed by the images that they’re seeing and recognizing the impact it’s taking. Our hearts go out to everyone, but if you’re struggling our partners at 2-1-1 are available for anyone to connect who needs support. Just dial 2-1-1 and they will connect you with the best support for to assist.".To support also evacuees, the YMCA of Northern Alberta is offering community members that have been forced to evacuate free access to the four YMCA health, fitness and aquatics centres in Edmonton..Individuals and families are welcome to access these locations free of charge for recreational use, showering and drop-in programming during standard hours of operation..Evacuees can walk into any of the locations and by showing photo ID may use the facilities for no charge for the duration of these evacuations..READ MORE: Thousands flee Yellowknife as wildfire approaches.Residents have been told by officials they have to clear out of Yellowknife by Friday afternoon..The citywide evacuation was issued Wednesday night as thousands of people hit the road south to Alberta..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold a meeting to discuss the wildfires which have prompted the evacuation of the capital city..According to Government of Canada reports, there are more than 230 wildfires burning and up to 20,000 sq. km. have burned while thousands of residents have fled their homes.
