The Tahltan Central Government and Tahltan Band Council Collaborate to Provide Telegraph
Creek Evacuees with Further Financial Support
DEASE LAKE, BC – August 24, 2018
The Tahltan Central Government and Tahltan Band Council will be providing additional financial support to the evacuees of Telegraph Creek.
An evacuation order was issued on August 5th for the community of Telegraph Creek due to a lightning-caused fire that originated on the south-east end of Alkali Lake. Since that time, multiple fires throughout Tahltan Territory have merged together and caused unprecedented fire devastation to the area. Nearly thirty homes, several significant cultural areas and other community infrastructure has been lost. Evacuees have taken shelter in hotels or within the homes of friends and family throughout Northwestern BC and the Yukon.
The Alkali Lake fire is BC’s largest and has already burned over 120,000 hectares and is not contained. The community of Telegraph Creek remains under a state of emergency and assessments are still being conducted to understand the extent of damage within the community.
The Tahltan Central Government has been working closely with the Tahltan Nation’s industry partners, organizations throughout the region, and others from across the country to collect donations to help the Telegraph Creek evacuees. The Tahltan Central Government, Tahltan Band and Iskut Band have all provided considerable support staff and resources to help the evacuees and firefighters. The Tahltan Nation and all its governing bodies and communities are extremely grateful for the firefighting efforts, volunteers, ongoing support and all the donations during this difficult time.
In addition to the donation dollars being paid out to the evacuees, the Tahltan Band Council has contributed significant funds to increase the amount paid out to the Tahltan individuals and their families during this challenging time. All such funds will be administered through the Tahltan Central Government and payments will be delivered to the eligible evacuees immediately.
Calvin Carlick
Executive Director & Fundraising Lead Tahltan Central Government
Email: executivedirector@tahltan.org Phone: (250) 771-3274
Torrye McKenzie
Communications Lead, Tahltan EOC
Email: communications1@tahltan.ca Phone: (250) 991-9424
