Our Evacuation Timeline: May 14 and 15 2011. Pieced together from dated text messages, Facebook posts and time stamped photos.
May 14
5:15 Nicola
leaves for Athabasca with daughter, Elizabeth and disabled elderly
mother Janet to attend a ballet performance put on by her cousin, Kerry. As
they were leaving, Len says to keep an ear to the radio as there were wildfire
reports. They listened to local radio
and CBC news until 6:30 but no fire reports
6:45 When
they arrived Athabasca, they receive a text from Len saying highway from Mitsue
closed due to fire.
8:15 Len
phones Nicola to tell them that the fire situation is very bad. Nicola checks CBC and CTV web news via iphone
but no reports
8:57 Nicola
receives a Facebook message from friend, Ellen Criss who reports that the
highway at Mitsue turnoff is closed and they are stuck on the road there
9:00 Nicola
receives a text from Hart asking where the rabbit cage is.
9:45 Nicola
calls home: Len tells her that he has been photographing the Mitsue fire which
was moving quickly towards town. Kerry
contacted RCMP officer at dance the recital Highway is closed, possible access
through Wabasca, no guarantee. No
internet reporting
10:30 Nicola
checks into a hotel. No TV or internet
report of fire. AMA reports road open.
Local state of emergency declared for the town of Slave Lake.
11:39 Nicola
receives a Facebook message via Blackberry from Ellen Criss who reports the
highway has been opened back to Slave Lake
1:00 Hart
and Len drive around town where the wind has died and smoke fills the air.
Bulldozers are widening firebreak along Highway 88 beside town.
May 15
9:00 a.m. Nicola
finds no internet reports, AMA reports road closed. CTV runs short story on TV.
She receives FB confirmation from Cindy Harmata that they got through on the
road last night.
9:52 Residents
southeast of town are on 2 hour evacuation notice and residents of Popular
Estates east of town have been evacuated.
10:18 Nicola
leaves for Slave Lake. Local radio news
not reporting the fire. View from highway shows spot fires throughout Mitsue
area, nothing huge
12:00 Nicola
arrives home
2:30 Town
website states “Town of Slave Lake not under evacuation notice.”
2:45 Evacuation
for entire South Shore has been ordered reported on local radio. All residents
must register at Northern Lakes College.
3:00 Lake
FM reports Roland Michener is temporary evacuation site. Go over to see if help is needed. Friend Ross MacDonald is there. Wait around
3:30 Neighbour Randy Ross, government employee in charge of evacuation, arrives to say no
one is needed at school
4:15 Nicola
goes to mall to buy dog food and beer, returns home. Power goes off during trip
home.
4:20 Power
goes back on. Nicola and Len drive to edge of
community trail near 14th ave and Highway 88 to see fire progress. Thick smoke and flames can be seen. Speculate that the angle of wind appears
to be more to the south to miss our neighbourhood
4:40 Return
home. Hart and Elizabeth are packing
personal items and checking internet, primarily slavelake.ca. Widewater and Wagner have been evacuated. Lake
FM broadcasts there is no evacuation notice in effect
Power goes out and then comes back on.
5:10 Update
on slavelake.ca states there is no evacuation notice and that highway 88 and
highway 2 east and west are closed
Power goes out. We try to get internet updates on CBC and CTV
and slavelake.ca –no news
5:30 Len takes photos of the contents of the house
5:35 Go
out and speak to neighbours who are packing vehicles and looking towards the
fire. Lady across the street has been told to report to work to the
hospital.
5:40 Len’s photos reveal a fireball in the sky just east of the town. Randy
Ross returns home frantic about the location of his daughter. We ask him what
to do, he says the latest word is evacuate to college and wait. Randy Ross says
the emergency plan is to “stand and defend.”
Lester Perrott, a former forester drives
by. He’s been evacuated from Widewater
and does not know where to go. We tell
him he is supposed to go to the college.
We ask him what to do. He takes
one look back at the approaching fire and says “Go.” Former student Cody drives
by and tells us 13th street is on fire. Neighbour returns from hospital, yells
at Cody, he hops in with the neighbours truck and they drive off
5:54 Phone
Jordan on cell in Edmonton to tell her to get on slavelake.ca and provide us
with an evacuation route.
5:57 Jordan
calls back to say latest update is 5:10 on slavelake.ca –telling people highway
88 and highway 2 west is closed, highway 2 east is open, and there is no
evacuation notice
We get both kids, their boxes of treasures, a change of clothes, Jordan's grad dress needed for upcoming event, Janet, two dogs and the rabbit in the van, leaving the other vehicle behind. We drive down 5th ave toward TAGS.
Get to corner of 5th and 10th street-cops are directing us south,
6:03 Elizabeth
sends Jordan text “We found cops. We’re leaving.” Still no evacuation notice on
slavelake.ca
6:14 We exit town by driving up an embankment at the end of 14 ave, along the
community trails to highway 88 and then highway 2 heading west
6:15 On
highway, Elizabeth texts Jordan to tell her we are out
6:09 Jordan
is with her friend Krista from Slave Lake who’s frantic about her parents who
are still in their house waiting to be notified about the evacuation. Jordan sends us a text to say Krista was
calling Glen and Sheila to tell them to leave from the NE.
6:15 Hart's Facebook status “Like if you
packed your x-box”
6:26 We arrive at former Noralta Lodge parking lot.
7:45 Robin Lee Vance says the highway south is opening
8:00 People
start driving back towards Slave Lake.
Move at walking pace.
8:30 See our neighbourhood which is along the highway.
Neighbours are standing along the spillway See our house which is one block from the
spillway, 2 or 3 blocks away from the
fire. Len, Elizabeth and Hart return to house for items.
8:45 Elizabeth
and Len take the other car and drive out via community trails. No police or security people
present. Fire could be seen behind playground. A lot of explosions can be heard
from houses a couple of blocks to the south. On community trails were two young
firefighters hosing down spot fires in the trees on the east side of town.
10:09 Mandatory
evacuation notice is announced
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