Samaritan's Purse responding to wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia

Christian Disaster Relief Organization Setting Up Evacuation Centre to Help Affected Families  

CALGARY, AB, July 24, 2024 /CNW/ - Samaritan's Purse is helping residents forced to flee from multiple wildfires in Alberta's Jasper National Park and the British Columbia interior.

At the request of B.C. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, the Christian disaster relief organization has sent a team of specialists to British Columbia, where they are setting up and operating a 100-bed evacuation facility in the Kamloops area.

Ten thousand residents and seasonal workers have been evacuated from Jasper National Park, along with an estimated 15,000 visitors. Highway 16, which connects Jasper to the rest of Alberta and B.C., has been closed, with only escorted access. Additionally, severe wildfires are threatening populations in northern Alberta and the British Columbia interior.

"Our hearts are breaking for residents fleeing these fires," said Keith Waara, acting director of Canadian disaster relief for Samaritan's Purse. "We are thankful to be able to help as many people as possible through this evacuation facility."

In recent years, Samaritan's Purse has helped families affected by a wide variety of Canadian and international natural disasters including 2023 wildfires in British Columbia, Hurricane Fiona in Prince Edward Island in 2022, 2018 flooding in Grand Forks B.C. and St. John, N.B., 2017 flooding in Vernon, B.C., and the catastrophic 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta, wildfire.

Donations Needed

To support Samaritan's Purse's disaster relief efforts, please visit SamaritansPurse.ca (click on "Donate") or call 1-800-663-6500.

About Samaritan's Purse Canada

Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ's biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides disaster relief, our work includes collecting and distributing gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, providing safe water, teaching vocational skills, and providing agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Learn more at SamaritansPurse.ca.

SOURCE Samaritan's Purse Canada

News Media Inquiries: Frank King, news media relations manager, Samaritan's Purse Canada, 403-990-0161 (mobile), [email protected]