As Jasperites prepare to return home on Friday (Aug. 16), officials caution that some services had not been fully restored to the townsite.
Joe Zatylny, deputy managing director with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said while considerable progress was being made in restoring critical infrastructure, services in Jasper remained limited.
“Those returning should prepare for them be self sufficient as much as possible,” Zatylny said at a Tuesday (Aug. 13) update.
“If you're returning, you'll need to decide whether your home is immediately habitable. You'll need to consider things like smoke and water damage, as well as the availability and reliability of services and utilities in your area when you're deciding whether or not to remain on your property.”
Residents should arrange for alternative overnight accommodations should they be unable to live at their residence upon return.
Anyone choosing to stay will need to be as self-sufficient as possible by bringing essential supplies to last at least 72 hours, including food, drinking water and medication.
Gas and Power
Power has been restored to most residential customers within the town but not to customers at Lake Edith, outlying commercial accommodations and industrial locations within and outside Jasper.
Gas has been partially restored, and ATCO says work continues this week to restore gas to more customers.
Gas meters have been turned off, and residents are asked not to remove this lock themselves as ATCO will remove it when they visit.
“With Jasper re-entry announced beginning August 16, our crews continue to work as safely and quickly as possible to restore electricity and natural gas service to homes and businesses,” ATCO stated on its website.
“Fire damage to some of ATCO’s infrastructure means that regular natural gas service and electricity to some customers in the region cannot be resumed at this time.”
According to the Municipality of Jasper, residents should assume all perishables are no longer fit for consumption, and they can check the status of their electricity and gas on ATCO’s map.
Boil Water Advisory
A boil water advisory is in effect for certain areas of the town. The municipality says it will provide a map and specific instructions related to the advisory prior to re-entry.
Emergency Services
Emergency services such as EMS, fire, police and 911 dispatch are already restored.
The hospital will be able to provide emergency health-care services, and non-emergency services are expected to resume gradually over the coming weeks while being offered in Hinton in the meantime.
“While the threat of wildfire is not over, re-entry offers hope to Albertans who have endured three agonizing weeks away from their community,” Zatylny said.
“This marks significant progress in an ongoing emergency response and the start of Jasper's recovery, but it is still possible for new evacuation alerts to happen with little more.”
Evacuation centres will continue to provide services and accommodations until at least Aug. 24.
Residents are asked to review the re-entry guide on the municipality’s website to prepare for the coming days ahead.
Visitors discouraged from coming
Trails, campgrounds and day-use areas would not be included in Friday’s re-entry.
Zatylny echoed local authorities' request that tourists postpone visiting Jasper National Park for the time being.
“Re-entry will be challenging for those who have lost their homes, businesses and treasured places,” Zatylny said.
“And while we are all eager to see Jasper heal and thrive again soon, it's important that we show compassion and empathy as our neighbours take stock and grieve their loss.”
Before Jasper is able to accommodate visitors, damage needs to be assessed, and utilities and services need to be restored.
Zatylny also warned that the wildfire situation remained fluid.
“Currently, Jasper is still under an evacuation order. Re-entry will still depend on factors such as fire behaviour and operational needs.”
A welcome centre will be at Commemoration Park at 1324 Pyramid Lake Road, with resources and information about mental health, utilities, internet, financial support and insurance.
Highway 16 is open to traffic between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily but could still be impacted by closures or delays for the foreseeable future. Motorists should check 511 Alberta for updates.
