Wildfires burning in and and around Kelowna in Canada caused the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus to be evacuated over the weekend, with funds now being raised for impacted students.
In total, more than 35,000 residents are under evacuation orders across province. Around 400 people were evacuated from the campus on August 18 and scheduled exams were cancelled.
As of August 20, UBC’s Okanagan campus was downgraded from an evacuation order to an alert. Only crucial trips to campus are recommended and anyone who must visit the campus has been advised to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
“These are unquestionably challenging and unsettling times for our students, faculty and staff and residents of Kelowna and surrounding communities,” read a joint statement by Lesley Cormack, principal and deputy vice-chancellor of the university and Deborah Buszard, interim president and vice-chancellor.
“We are also aware that many in our community, both on and off campus, have been evacuated and wait anxiously for news as the situation unfolds. Others have already suffered significant loss,” said Cormack in a statement on August 20.
“We are working through this together,” she added.
Cormack confirmed that the campus has not suffered from any structural damage. “For that, we are grateful,” she said.
However, she added that “undoubtedly” the impact of the wildfires will leave a scar on the community.
“I have hope that our resilience, which has been tested all too recently, will prevail once more.”
Interested in supporting the @ubcokanagan student community impacted by the wildfires in the Okanagan? I wanted to share some information about the UBCO Student Emergency Fund. We use this fund to support accommodation and food support for our students. https://t.co/j7rfI6jlW0
— Brad Wuetherick (@bwuetherick) August 21, 2023
Donations to help displaced students are being welcomed via the Okanagan Student Emergency Assistance Fund.
“We will rebuild. We will learn. Our community will continue to strengthen and support one another in the face of this adversity,” said Cormack.
“I have hope that our resilience, which has been tested all too recently, will prevail once more”
The university was also forced to cancel its multi-day program, JumpStart, designed to help students transition from high school student to university scholar.
“From the serene chirps in the morning breeze, to the raging burning of the nature that surrounds our homes, the past four days have been a test of resilience and perseverance with homes being lost in engulfing flames,” said Ruwaida Rashid, senior orientation leader in a LinkedIn post.
“We went from preparing to welcome over 3,000+ first year students with our carefully curated #JumpStart orientation program, to the SEO’s months of hard work being shadowed by uncertainty of its delivery within a matter of an evacuation order.”
The city’s Okanagan College also issued alerts to students and employees, but remained open.
“We understand the wildfire situation in B.C. is causing people stress, including students who are planning to attend OC this fall. We want you to know we take the safety of our students and staff very seriously,” the institution said in a statement.
The post Campus reopens following wildfire evacuation in B.C appeared first on The PIE News.