National support

A national campaign has been launched to help victims of this week’s flood.

The Red Cross and Salvation Army started the fundraising Wednesday morning to help those who have been hit hardest. The money will be used to assist people who have no insurance, are without food or do not have a place to live while relief efforts are underway.

“Our focus is really turning to how we are going to help people,” city manager Tim Commisso said.

Those agencies have also partnered with the city to go door-to-door to find out who has been most affected and what their needs are. The city has also started a co-ordinated effort to have all the people who need help or want to give it run through one place. More than 100 people are still without hydro and gas while an estimated 1,000 homes were flooded.

Commisso said while the efforts of groups like the Thunder Bay Flood Assistance are appreciated, there are health and safety as well as legal concerns that need to be co-ordinated through the city under its declaration of emergency.

He uses donated food as an example.

“The role of Salvation Army can ensure there food safety and control,” he said.

“Food although It’s much appreciated it’s not something at this point we can necessarily just allow to happen.”

Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue chief John Hay said people wanting to give or get help should call 807-983-5663 or email flood@thunderbay.ca.

Staff will be manning the phones and watching emails to make sure a response is given.

“We want all the requests and offers to come through this portal into the city and then they’ll be directed through our area command and to our command officers,” he said.

“Some of the freelancing that’s been happening, it’s great work but it’s sometimes doubling up our efforts to co-ordinate that activity to make sure everything we’re doing is safe for the individuals that have been impacted.”

Hay said over the next couple of days, the city’s relief efforts can move from the consequences of the flood to a recovery effort to really start helping people. That effort is going to take awhile he said.

“It will be a marathon. This is not going to end in a week or two weeks, it’s going to be quite a while until everybody’s back and happy,” he said.

The city insists this co-ordinated effort is not just starting. Hay said since daybreak of day one shelter, food and transportation has been available to people.

“We’re not behind the eight ball. If people didn’t want to take advantage of it or thought that it was going to be a short event and they were going to be able to move back into their house in three hours when the water went down we can’t force people to take advantage of a clean, dry, safe place to stay and eat and transport to it. If they choose not to they choose not to,” he said.

It’s the city’s business to deal with emergencies he said. Sometimes good intentions from people can have unsafe consequences he said.

“Facebook turned it into some atomic level number of people getting in. We don’t want to have doubling up of efforts and we don’t want to have unsafe conditions created by people trying to do really good things.”

Mayor Keith Hobbs said he commends the volunteer group, which includes his daughter Shannon, but the city needs to step in. The city will be working with the group to continue getting people the help they need.

“It was a great effort form those people but now it’s time to get that co-ordinated in a proper manner,” he said.

Hobbs said he’s hoping that the country will come to Thunder Bay’s aid just like the city has donated to national and international campaigns in the past. He also encourages those not affected in the city to do what they can to help.

“I think a lot of people in the city think that this disaster and this emergency is over but it’s far from over.”

To donate to the Red Cross call 1-800-418-1111 or email wecare@redcross.ca.

For the Salvation Army call 1-800-725-2769 or go to www.salvationarmy.ca .

Dougall Media will also have a 12 hour donation centre up Thursday at Intercity Shopping Centre in the former Urban Behaviour location across from Moxie’s.

Help at a glance: