(Quebec) While Roberval is “overflowing” with refugees fleeing the forest fires, members of the Cree community of Waswanipi have chosen to make the long road that separates them from Quebec City in the middle of the night to seek refuge.
About 700 members of this community have arrived in the capital since Wednesday. Some 200 of them were housed overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in a room made available to them urgently by the City of Quebec. And many more could join them.
“The main concern was access to our community. We only had one place left to go out, ”explained the vice-chief of Waswanipi, Rhonda Oblin-Cooper, who met the media Thursday at the Expo-Cité center.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
The Vice-Chief of Waswanipi, Rhonda Oblin-Cooper with the Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Rémy Vincent, and the Mayor of Québec, Bruno Marchand.
Waswanipi finds itself caught between two fires. To the south, Route 113 towards Quévillon is already closed. So there is only one exit to the north left and no one knows if it will still be accessible in the next few days.
Waswanipi Council therefore decided Wednesday evening to evacuate its most vulnerable members, those in need of medical care, seniors and pregnant women.
People left overnight in buses and personal vehicles for the seven-hour long drive to the capital. The road was deserted.
“It was scary because we saw that the people who managed the security checkpoints had left,” says the vice-chief. We could see that, it was something to see, that the people from the SQ and other organizations were no longer there. And we were going out. »
About 1000 citizens are still present in Waswanipi, but the Council could decide at any time to evacuate them as well depending on the progress of the fires.
A request for Patrick Roy
Romeo Ottereyes is one of the 200 evacuees who slept at the Center Expo-Cité. He arrived at 1 a.m. At 2 a.m., the City of Quebec ordered 250 slices of pizza from a well-known chain, much to the surprise of the night employee.
“Others were arriving until 4 a.m.,” says Ottereyes. The man says people are torn, some have had to leave their dogs behind, or are separated from their families. “Everyone is emotional. It’s hard. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
Romeo Ottereyes arrived in Quebec at 1 a.m. Thursday.
Le Cri had a special request on Thursday: the passage to the refuge of the winning team of the Memorial Cup, the Remparts of Quebec, and especially, of their famous coach.
“If ever Patrick Roy can hear me, maybe he could come visit us and cheer us up, the kids’ morale, and we could take pictures,” the man said. He said he made his request directly to the mayor of Quebec.
The man explains that he decided to leave Waswanipi because the air quality had deteriorated a lot. “If 113 closes to the north, the community will be trapped,” he adds.
For its part, the City of Quebec was notified late Wednesday evening of this request for assistance from the Crees of Waswanipi. Quickly, municipal employees prepared the Center Expo-Cité to welcome evacuees. The Red Cross provided 1,400 beds and by 4 a.m. everything was in place.
Other evacuees could join the 200 currently sleeping at Expo-Cité. “There may be people from Oujé-Bougoumou who have come down to Roberval. But we must not hide it, it overflows there. Here, we are ready,” says the Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Rémy Vincent. He invited the members of the First Nations in search of security not to hesitate to come to Quebec.
The Quebec SPA will also be involved. Some members of the Waswanipi community have brought their animals, which are prohibited in the shelter. Some even slept in their truck to be with them. The SPA could offer a refuge to the animals for the time necessary, indicated the City of Quebec.