Donations of clothing were being solicited and accepted last week in the wake of flooding that displaced many Albertans.
Clothes and household items will be needed by some, but in many cases gift certificates for grocery or clothing stores or donations to the Red Cross and community organizations are more appropriate.
Judith Kulig, a health sciences professor at the University of Lethbridge, has extensively studied community disaster recovery, most recently in relation to the 2011 wildfire in Slave Lake, Alta., which destroyed much of the town.
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The Slave Lake recovery blueprint developed from that disaster is being employed in recovery plans for the Alberta flood, as announced by provincial municipal services minister Doug Griffiths June 21.
Kulig said the Slave Lake experience revealed that donations of large amounts of clothing and goods are difficult for communities to deal with in the immediate wake of a disaster.
“That was a big lesson we learned in Slave Lake.”
Distributing goods to people who need them, in timely fashion, takes time away from other recovery efforts by people on site, Kulig said.
“I would just urge people that want to make donations and help people out to really think about the kind of donations they should give.”
Her Slave Lake resiliency studies also showed Kulig the value of small town cohesion, which often allows smaller communities to react more efficiently and more appropriately to disasters.
That could be a factor in recovery for High River, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and other smaller communities affected by high water last week.
The extent of damage has yet to be assessed, and when it is, homes and property will be lost.
“I think people have to be prepared for that grieving cycle that they’re going to go through. That is completely normal and that will take some time to get through, and they’re going to have good days and bad days,” Kulig said.
A number of corporate donations had been announced as of June 24. Monetary donations are being accepted by the Red Cross, which can be contacted at 800-418-1111.
