Jasper wildfire: Why rebuilding Alberta town may be ‘logistical nightmare’
As a raging wildfire devastates the Alberta town of Jasper, there are growing concerns about the immediate toll on the community and the “logistical nightmare” of recovery that lies ahead.
While the extent of the structural damage remains unclear, multiple buildings have been impacted, according to Parks Canada.
The most significant structural damage is concentrated on the west side of town, southwest of Miette Avenue — but firefighting efforts prevented significant damage to much of the infrastructure in the east end of town such as the hospital, emergency services building, both elementary and junior/senior schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant.
The fire damaged several bridges around the town and throughout the national park, along with homes and hotels.
It’s a familiar sight for Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, who said he understands how challenging it can be for a community to leave their homes with little notice.
“When you hear something like this, regardless of your experience, you start to think about the human toll,” Savage said in an interview with Global News on Thursday.
“Obviously the built infrastructure to lose is amazingly awful, but the impact that it has on humans is even more dramatic.”
Last May, a historic wildfire that broke out in the Halifax-area community of Upper Tantallon upended the lives of thousands of people.
That fire burned 969 hectares, destroyed 151 homes and forced more than 16,000 residents to flee the area.
More than one year later, people in Halifax and other parts of Nova Scotia who were impacted by the blazes are still recovering and rebuilding.
“We went through that here in Halifax last year, and I know the toll that it takes,” Savage said.
“It’s a really tough
Read more on globalnews.ca
