Friday, July 24th, 2009 | 1:24 pm KELOWNA.COM
Media Briefing for Vernon ESSInformation officer Gord Molendyk speaks to the media this morning at a briefing in Vernon. (Photo Rob Montgomery)
By Joe Fries
Still less than half of the 2,200 evacuated Fintry residents have registered with the emergency operations centre in Vernon, a press conference was told this morning.Information officer Gord Molendyk, who speaks on behalf of the EOC there, said 755 people had registered as of 11 a.m. A further 13 evacuees from Fintry High Farm registered at the EOC in West Kelowna, according to staff there. So where are the rest of the evacuees?“Some could be away on holidays, some could be at friends’ places and just not called us,” Molendyk said afterwards.And another 20 or so people who live along the water are planning to use their boats if a hasty retreat is necessary.Molendyk noted that people, even those who don’t need, or don’t qualify for, emergency assistance, should still register so they can be accounted for. People can also now register by phone at (250) 550-7850.He clarified that only those evacuees whose primary residence is within the evacuation area qualify for assistance with food, shelter and clothing.On a related note, Molendyk also said police located a man who on Thursday had been going door to door telling some residents in the Westshore Estates area to leave their homes when they were still only under an evacuation alert.“He was presenting himself as an official and trying to get people to leave, and it was causing havoc for the individuals in that area,” Molendyk said.“He was presenting himself as an official and trying to get people to leave, and it was causing havoc for the individuals in that area,” Molendyk said.The unidentified man, who resides in the area, was removed by police and told, “that if he goes back in, he’ll be facing criminal charges.” “There’s a possibility that he may be suffering a little bit from mental-health issues,” added Molendyk.
Meanwhile, in West Kelowna, 9,000 evacuees from all three fires had registered at the Mount Boucherie EOC as of this morning, and all but a handful were chased away by the Glenrosa and Rose Valley fires. Information officer Tom Wilson echoed Molendyk’s thoughts about where the missing Fintry evacuees may be. Because many of them are vacationers, they “likely packed up and headed somewhere else.”And further, Wilson added, “From what I understand, the RCMP are definitely patrolling the streets and the waters… and making sure people who shouldn’t be there are not there.”Police on Thursday threatened unwanted visitors with a $230 fine.
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