Fire/Smoke/Evacuation FNIHB Update, July 10, 2015

Key Messages

• Over 13,000 people have been evacuated. • Provincial/Red Cross system is providing for almost 9,000 people. • Evacuations will likely continue through next week. • Our northen First Nation Health partners are actively participating/managing the response to the evacuations. • Health Canada continues to work with First Nation, federal and provincial partners to ensure that the medical, cultural and mental health needs of evacuees are being met.

First Nation communities in the process of returning

• Little Red River (Lac Indian Band and Montreal Lake Nation members) • • Sturgeon Lake First Nation •

Evacuation Status (the following is a list of the First Nation communities that are fully or partially evacuated)

FULLY EVACUATED (Health Facilities Closed unless otherwise noted)

Clearwater River Nation • The Landing (this community has six homes.)

English River First Nation • English River (Nursing Station is still open as 100 people are still in the community)

Lac La Ronge Indian Band • Grandmother's Bay • Hall Lake • Laronge/Kitsaki • Sucker River

Montreal Lake Cree Nation (Main Community)

PARTIALLY EVACUATED (Health Facilities are still open unless otherwise noted.) • Birch Narrows First Nation • Buffalo River Dene Nation • Canoe Lake Cree First Nation (main reserve) • Clearwater River Dene Nation (the main community has no nurse, as she travelled with the priority 1 and 2 evacuees. Health Centre is open with non-medical staff. EMS is available from nearby .) • Indian Band: • Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation: Deschambault Lake, Southend

Wildfire Update

• Water bombers and helicopters were active yesterday. • It is hoped that with the additional fire fighters (military personnel) there will be able to control and suppress the fires threatening communities. • If you want to stay on top of the fire situation around the communities, you should bookmark Chief Tammy Cook-Searson's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TammyCookSearson • No significant rainfall likely in the next few days. • The Province continues to keep phones and power working and roads open. • Smoke will continue to be a problem in the north. Modelling of smoke can be found at: http://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/BSC00WC04/current/ • Here's the map of the current fires: http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/firefiles/activefires.pdf • Here's the map on the current Fire Hazard in the north and the map for tomorrow: • Today's forecast: http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=0876a4a5-0d9a- 495f-a90a-90c6dd4f73fe • Tomorrow's forecast: http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=3828f5ca- 06cb-420a-bd19-dfed4785c99e

Evacuation Centres

• As the evacuation continues, the anxieties and concerns of evacuees continues to increase. • The Mental Health Teams from the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), the STC Health and Family Services (STCHFS), the White Raven Healing Lodge and the (OLCN) continue to provide mental wellness supports in Prince Albert, , Regina and Cold Lake () respectively. • As evacuations may continue past next weekend, the Minsitry of Health has asked all Health Regions to identify the Nurse Practitioners, Community Health Nurses and Public Health Inpsectors that are able and willing to help provide nursing support services in the official evacuation centres.

Prince Albert Evacuation Centre

• The Prince Albert Grand Council, the Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) and the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) are providing nursing services in Prince Albert in coordination with PA Parkland Health Region (PAPHR). • Staff from FNIHB's North Service Centre continue to assist at the evacuation centres.

Saskatoon

• The Saskatoon Health Region continues to provide the primary care and public health needs at the centres. • FNIHB is providing additional funding to STCHFS to ramp up services at the STC Urban Clinic as evacuees are accessing services from the clinic.

Regina

• FNIHB is providing nurses to work with Regina Qu'Appelle Heath Region's primary care and public health teams. • Community Health Nurses from File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council are be scheduled into the rotation next week.

North Battleford

• Prairie North Health Region continues to provide the health support for the evacuees in hotels.

Cold Lake

• While this site is in Alberta it is being managed as part of the Saskatchewan's response. • Nursing services are being provided by Alberta Health Services. • Alberta FNIHB has NIHB personnel on site to facilitate access evacuees access to benefits. • An Alberta FNIHB EHO is on site to provide inspection and assessment services at the evacuation centre (in coordination with Alberta Health Services EHOs) and at English Bay on the Cold Lake First Nation where approximately 50 evacuee are camped out.

Unofficial Evacuation Centres

• Meadow Lake--while this not an official site, there are evacuees in hotels and camping out. MLTC is providing meals at Flying Dust. Prairie North Health Region (PNHR) has reported no pressures on their medical services in the community. • As want to support First Nations the Prince Albert Grand Council is working with First Nations within the Prince Albert to explore establishing on reserve evacuation centres. • PAGC Health staff are assessing the First Nation sites to see if they meet the criteria of the Red Cross and Emergency Social Services. • The First Nations being considered are: Cree Nation, Beardy & Okemais Willow Cree First Nation, and . • At present the only First Nation with an unofficial evac centre is Beardy's & Okemasis. In today's Star Phoenix, Doug Cuthand's column looked at how First Nations are helping with the fire fighting and supporting evacuees, including Beardy's & Okemasis's unofficial evac centre. See:http://www.thestarphoenix.com/touch/story.html?id=11203500 • There is unconfirmed reports that 20 evacuees from the Cold Lake Evacuation Centre are being transported to the Onion Lake Cree Nation, which is trying to obtain supplies from Saskatchewan's Emergency Social Services to support the evacuees. • It has been reported the is accepting 100 evacuees from north- west. PAGC will provide EHO services in the community through the weekend. • While PAGC was invited to do the assessment by the leadership of each First Nation, it is coordinating assessments with the Public Health service providers for the non-PAGC First Nations. • At this time neither the Province nor AANDC is supporting the use of evacuation centres on reserves. The position taken is that there is limited capacity and it does not make sense moving evacuees from urban centres where there is easier access to resources and services. They have also suggested this proposal should be explored after the fire evacuations are over.

Lifting of Evacuations

• Dr. Ndbuka, Medical Health Officer, Northern Inter- Tribal Health Authority, will provide the health authority clearance before evacuees are repatriated to their home communities.

Non-Insured Health Benefits

• For evacuees in Saskatchewan, Maureen Sebastian, Program Officer, 306-780-7007 is the contact for NIHB issues. • For evacuees in Cold Lake, people should contact the NIHB person on site.

Going Forward

• FNIHB is identifying human resources available within FNIHB and First Nation Health Services available to support the services to evacuees as the evacuation continue.