Initiatives from across Canada to help flood victims in Manitoba are pouring in almost as fast as flood waters in the devastated Red River Valley.
Volunteer organizations, governments, banks, community and church groups from across Canada are collecting donations, co-ordinating relief efforts and distributing information.
Here’s a list of who is helping and how others can get involved:.
- The Canadian Red Cross has set up a national number, 1-888-662-3211, for information on friends and relatives relocated because of the flood. The co-ordination centre in Manitoba can be reached at 204-986-8000.
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Financial donations can be mailed to the Canadian Red Cross, 6th Floor, 815-8th Ave. SW, Calgary, Alta., T2P 3P2. Cheques can be made payable to Canadian Red Cross, Manitoba Flood Appeal. Credit cards are accepted and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information, check the website at: www.redcross.ca.
- The Salvation Army is organizing a program for donations of clean pillows, blankets, sleeping bags and recycled clothing to be delivered to 1707 Church Ave. in Winnipeg. Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at 324 Logan Ave. in Winnipeg.
Call your local Salvation Army outlet for information on dropping off donations in other provinces.
For more information, call Salvation Army flood headquarters in Winnipeg at 946-9100, or outside the province call 1-888-480-ARMY.
- Financial donations can be made at various banks across the country.
The Royal Bank and credit unions are accepting donations on behalf of the Red Cross, and money collected through the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will go toward the Salvation Army’s flood relief efforts.
All branches of the following major Canadian banks will also take donations for Red Cross: Bank of Hong Kong, Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, Caisse Populaires, Laurentian and Toronto Dominion.
- As of April 28, about 3,000 military personnel from across Canada were helping protect evacuated towns, build dikes and pile sandbags. The province hoped another 6,000 would join them by the end of the week.
To volunteer for sandbagging in Winnipeg, call 986-8000, and for rural areas call 945-5888.
- The Mennonite Disaster Service is organizing people to help after the flood. To volunteer, call 204-261-6381.
- If you have to travel through or near southern Manitoba, call Manitoba Highways at 204-945-3704 for information.
- For more information on the internet, the Manitoba department of natural resources has a website with flood information, at www.gov.mb.ca/flood.
The Manitoba government’s 1997 flood information index page with links to 13 other flood-related sites is: www.gov.mb.ca/flood/index.html.
City of Winnipeg flood information: www.mbnet.mb.ca/city/html/govern/water/flood.htm.
- Canadian Pacific Railway has made more than 13,900 sq. metres of space available at its main terminal at Weston Shops and 40 containers at the nearby intermodal yard to the Red Cross so flood victims may store furniture and other possessions.
CP also sent a 35-car grain train into the McTavish and Domaine areas to empty the local elevators so farmers could move product from flood areas to more secure and dry elevators.
The railway also positioned a locomotive and crew at Altona to continue switching grain cars in and out of the main plant and keep it operating during the crisis. For more information, call Stephen Morris at 403-218-7432.
- Canada Post has established a flood evacuation postal outlet at 266 Graham Avenue in Winnipeg. Flood evacuees can visit the outlet between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. for mail pickup, including cheques. Proper identification must be shown. Evacuees from Emerson and Dominion City can pick up their mail at the outlet. Those from Letellier, St. Jean Baptiste, Morris, Aubigny and Rosenort may pick up their mail at the outlet effective April 25. People from the community of Ginew may pick up mail at the Steinbach post office.
- A disaster recovery program is in place for Peace River, Alta., residents who experienced damage from flooding. Funding is only available for essential items that are not insurable.
On April 23, disaster recovery offices opened at the provincial building in Peace River. Contact the Disaster Services Branch at 403-422-9000.
- The Alberta government has provided an internet site with advice on how to cope with the aftermath of flooding at www.gov.ab.ca/~tu/dis000.htm (the three 0s are zeros).
