Donations make way to Leaf Rapids

LEAF RAPIDS — Beverly Baker has been airing out her furniture in her front lawn since she arrived home last week.

The 56-year-old Leaf Rapids resident, who was evacuated from the community for more than two months owing to wildfires, returned to a mould-infested home with musty furniture and beds.

Six mattresses, two couches and a fridge now lie around her yard.

“There was this bad smell in the house, it smelled like rotten meat. It just smelled awful,” she said outside her home.

Inside, part of the ceiling in her kitchen sank while she was away, after sprinkler systems were installed on the roofs of homes for fire suppression.

She has been repeatedly cleaning the floors and walls with bleach in an effort to rid her home of the smell, but says it has permeated much of the house.

Organizations and communities across Manitoba have banded together to help residents in the town of about 350 people. On Thursday, a shipment of 6o mattresses, various furniture items and bags of clothing were making the 10-hour drive from Winnipeg to Leaf Rapids thanks to donations from the Manitoba Métis Federation and Oyate Tipi Cumini Yape, a Winnipeg-based furniture bank.

Baker was hoping to receive some of the donations but was preparing to reuse some of the dank furniture, if necessary.

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (Nelson House), located about 150 kilometers south of the community, delivered emergency food hampers Wednesday afternoon to affected families.

Diapers, cleaning supplies and other household items donated by various organizations are also expected to be shipped to the northern community Friday morning.

Greg Georgeson, the executive director of Oyate Tipi Cumini Yape, sprang into action after hearing word about the sorry state of some homes in Leaf Rapids. He had a surplus of mattresses in his inventory and sent them up as soon as he could.

“I started seeing some of the other news reports and it really started to hit home of how dire the situation was up there,” he said. “It just kind of crushes me to hear things like that … There’s so many families and stuff struggling out there.”

The non-profit supplies furniture and other household items to people fleeing domestic violence, youth aging out of care and those affected by emergencies or natural disasters.

Leaf Rapids residents were ordered to leave the community on July 8. They were given the OK to return late last month. Baker spent the two months in Winnipeg.

Her front yard wasn’t the only one full of clutter — fridges and chest freezers littered at least a dozen others throughout the community on Wednesday. Many chose to toss away their appliances after the power was out for a month and food went rancid. She and her family have been buying food on a daily basis, but is concerned the funds will soon run out.

Rob Baker, Beverly Baker’s son, helped to co-ordinate the delivery of donations and said the provincial government needs to step in. Leaf Rapids town council was dissolved in 2019 after multiple resignations and allegations of mismanagement. In the aftermath, the province appointed an administrator to deal with day-to-day operations.

“It’s frustrating that we’re doing all of this. Where’s the town? Where’s the people to help our people?” he said.

Georgeson agreed.

“It absolutely does create a lot of frustration,” he said. “Being a non-profit charity, we rely on a lot of funding and things like that, and it would be really, really nice to see, in particular, the province and the city step up a little bit.”

On Wednesday, the province announced a disaster financial assistance program for municipalities affected by wildfires.

Costs covered under the program include pre-emptive preparation efforts, emergency response operations, recovery support and long-term wildfire mitigation strategies.

Insurable damages are not eligible for the program, whether insurance was purchased or not. The program will not assist with “loss of income, revenue, wages, market share or opportunity.”

Applicants have until Nov. 30 to make claims.

Manitoba’s wildfire season was declared the province’s worst in 30 years. Fires prompted two states of emergency and the evacuation of more than a dozen communities. To date, fires have burned 2.1 million hectares.

The Canadian Red Cross stated it registered more than 32,600 people from over 12,500 households evacuated due to the wildfires.

» Winnipeg Free Press