At the end of May, our province was devastated by wildfires that spread across multiple communities. Approximately 18,000 people were evacuated from their homes, and the fire eventually destroyed over 150 homes and other buildings. Since the East Coast community is tight knit, it’s likely that you know someone that was impacted by these fires. I connected with Judy Lewis, the Go Out Coordinator at Saint Benedict, to get some details about how our parish was connected to the fires.

How many parishioners were directly impacted by the fires?

Multiple parishioners were evacuees. Sadly, one family has lost their home, and several others incurred damage, like a burned deck and melted siding. Evacuees whose homes were fortunately spared did have to empty out the contents of their fridges and freezers, since the power had been disconnected for days.

Did parishioners reach out to Saint Benedict for assistance?

Those affected were contacted by the parish directly, but at the time
did not need any help. In a beautiful turn of events, parishioners had already, independently, reached out to people they knew were impacted and evacuated, offering them food and shelter until they were able to return home.

Did Saint Benedict support the other members of the community?

The parish received many calls from fire victims outside our parish boundaries and we were able to help them get access to the agencies working directly with wildfire support. One elderly man in particular was not a parishioner, but he was referred to Saint Benedict by Nova Scotia 211. He was distraught because he lost everything in the fire, had no home insurance, and had to run for his life through flames. SBP Cares reached out to our Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and they graciously provided this gentleman with a voucher to get free clothing. SBP Cares also contacted the United Way Halifax and another parish on his behalf, and as a result he was able to secure immediate financial and emotional support. Judy spoke directly with the Director
of Social Impact Strategy for the United Way Halifax, and offered the assistance of SBP Cares in the event they needed extra volunteers to help administer their support to the wildfire victims.

What support is available in the aftermath?

Not only were some parishioners directly impacted by the wildfires,
but many were indirectly impacted as well. There were parishioners who were or had members of their family serving as firefighters, police, and paramedics, who worked within the dangerous flames and smoke. Others were triggered by the fire as they had to evacuate, reminding them of traumatic events that had happened in their past. For anyone who needs help finding counseling support, or after reading this article realizes that they need assistance due to hardship from the fires, please call 782-414-9015, and you will be directed to the appropriate support channels.

Praise God, at the time of writing this article, no fatalities from the wildfires have been reported.