Meet the helpers spending days on their feet to serve First Nations wildfire evacuees

Since April 1, 31 First Nations across Canada have had to evacuate due to wildfires, displacing 20,059 people, according to Indigenous Services Canada. Some of those evacuees have turned to helping others in similar situations. 

Chateh, Alta., a Dene community in northern Alberta, had to be evacuated suddenly on May 29 due to a wildfire.

Fleeing your home can be a scary and disorienting experience, especially if you have to do so in a rush. Hayley Natannah, from Chateh, was recruited to run the donation centre in High Level, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.

She said some people were notified about the need to leave by RCMP officers knocking on their doors. 

"It happened so quickly …. Some parents didn't have time to pack their child's clothes," Natannah said. 

As the person running the donation centre, she was responsible for making sure people had access to clothing and essential toiletries.

The community of about 927 people has been through multiple evacuations — two floods and three wildfires — but getting things organized can still be a challenge, she said. 

It was her first time taking on that responsibility and she said she wasn't quite sure how to tackle it initially. 

However, she said she was soon finding out what evacuees needed and collecting donations by sharing information online. 

The long days — the donation centre was open for 12 hours a day — took a physical toll, Natannah said. She ended each of the seven days exhausted with "cramped-up legs and body aches." 

However, Natannah said the volunteers were instructed in how to practise self-care, which they found was essential. Without that, she said, it would have been impossible to maintain her mental health.

Raven Reid, who is Mikisew Cree, works as a music teacher with the Community Arts Mentorship Program in Stanley Mission, Sask., a Woodland Cree community. She said they lost power early as the fires surrounded them. 

"Northern Saskatchewan was on fire and Stanley Mission was sort of right in the middle of it," Reid said. 

The evacuation of Stanley Mission began June 4.