Home / News Releases / News Release: Splatsin Extends Evacuation Alert for IR#1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 9, 2021
Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwepemc Territory) – An evacuation alert by Splatsin has been extended until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. based on the recommendation of the BC Wildfire Service. The White Rock Lake Fire (K61884) has grown in size and is approximately 25 km away from Salmon River IR #1. An evacuation alert means that all community members of an area are on standby and should be ready to evacuate quickly if upgraded to an evacuation order.
Kukpi7 (Chief) Wayne Christian and the EOC Director took a helicopter tour over the fire today to get a better look at the fire which is classified as Out of Control by the BC Wildfire Service.
“Splatsin established an EOC on August 6 in response to the fire which is comprised of Splatsin staff and contracted experts and is working closely with the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC,” said Christian.
A structural protection crew has been hired to protect properties in the lower and upper Salmon River. The crews are meeting residents this week and compiling detailed information about each household such as phone numbers, special requirements, structural details, hazards, and much more.
Community members under an evacuation alert are being urged to prepare in the event of an evacuation order, which requires that residents leave immediately. Splatsin recommends the below measures with resources available on the website.
In the event of an evacuation order, Splatsin and local emergency personnel will deliver information door-to-door and publish it online. For now, updates are available daily at splatsin.ca.
Splatsin has also opened the parking lot at the Community Centre to evacuees of the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) who would like to park their recreational vehicles.
“This year has been a difficult time for people,” said Christian. “With COVID-19, the 215+ children showing themselves, and now the wildfires. I ask people to think about how to take care of themselves (yecwmenstsút) and each other (knucwentwecw).”
The Splatsin people reside on reserve lands adjacent to the City of Enderby to the south and across the Shuswap River to the east, within the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc, the largest Interior Salish-speaking First Nation in Canada. Their traditional territory stretches from the B.C./Alberta border near the Yellowhead Pass to the plateau west of the Fraser River, southeast to the Arrow Lakes, and the upper reaches of the Columbia River encompassing 180,000 square kilometres, 32 communities, and a population of 15,000 people. The Splatsin and Secwépemc has total jurisdiction and title to all of their people, lands, and resources and have not surrendered, ceded, or released them to the government.
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Information Officer:
Dudley Coulter, Director of Communicationso (250) 838-6496 ext. 705c (250) 306-1541e [email protected]