DISASTER & EMERGENCY HISTORY
Brown Street fire - maple Ridge
June 10, 2023 - CDART volunteers were deployed to assist with pets recovered from the Brown Street Condominium fire. Supplies were provided for three dogs, and a cat was transported to foster care. Live traps were later set in the hope of catching pets missing since the fire.
White Rock lake wildfire
CDART has opened a temporary emergency animal shelter in Lake Country to house companion animal evacuees from the White Rock Lake fire. CDART is staffed by volunteers, so there is no charge for any of our services. We will assist with any animal-related concerns.
The shelter is located at the Winfield Memorial Hall, 10130 Bottom Wood Lake Road, and is open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. If you are a fire evacuee needing help with your animal(s), please contact us at 250-809-9589 or info@cdart.org .
White Rock Lake Wildfire Media Reports:
https://globalnews.ca/news/8104684/white-rock-lake-wildfire-properties-damaged/
https://ckpgtoday.ca/2021/08/11/several-structures-damaged-by-white-rock-lake-wildfire/
https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/6-structures-west-of-vernon-damaged-by-white-rock-lake-fire/
Lytton wildfire
Update 08/15 - On July 2nd, CDART was deployed by the Chilliwack ESS Reception Centre to assist with pets belonging to Lytton evacuees. Rather than establish a temporary shelter to house them, CDART placed these animals in foster care. Many have already been reunited with their owners.
SURREY
Update 8/19 - Some more good news from the Surrey apartment fire. We have another cat reunited with its family. Although this cat was found at the adjoining complex, it belongs to the same family as the one reported captured in the last post.
Update 8/12 - Trapping is being done and we’ve captured one of the missing. Unfortunately we’ve also recovered one deceased cat. CDART will continue trapping as long as there are confirmed sightings.
We cannot thank both Barclay Restoration and EMS security. They are really going above and beyond to help. Plus a big shout out to Surrey Fire, they came on the Sunday to help position a trap high in the most impacted area!
Update 8/6 - There are still a few cats missing. The restoration company, BARCLAY, has really stepped up to help. Traps are being placed inside as well as outside. The neighbourhood has banded together to help out! We’ve created a Facebook page to help track sightings.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/378120117268592/?ref=share
August 4, 2021 - City of Surrey placed CDART on standby to rescue/recover animals trapped by the apartment fire in Newton. In the evening, after the fire situation was stabilized, CDART volunteers were deployed to the Canterbury Green complex to assist with pet recovery.
MAPLE RIDGE
April 3, 2021 - CDART deployed to a fire at an apartment complex in Maple Ridge.
First a big Thank You to Katie’s Place!
CDART offered support to over a dozen cats, 3 dogs and a guinea pig. We will be back on site tomorrow to follow through with ongoing support and trapping if needed, and be present at Sunday's meetings provided by Maple Ridge for the evacuees.
VIDEO: Fire forces evacuation of Maple Ridge apartment building
Apartment fire in Maple Ridge sends four people to hospital early Saturday morning
aBBOTSFORD
UPDATE. 3/15: We pulled the traps today. There's been no sign of the 3 cats that remain missing. CDART will contact the company that is tasked with the next steps for restoring the building once the decision has been made.
UPDATE, 3/6: There hasn't been any news to report so rather than daily updates CDART will post an update if a cat is found or there is a change in the situation. Until then we will keep our traps onsite and continue to work with FirstOnSite to find the 3 cats still missing.
UPDATE, 3/5: CDART is still trapping and the restoration staff are still looking but no cats have been found.
UPDATE, 3/4: Sorry folks, today is the same as yesterday.
UPDATE, 3/3: No news today. We continue to trap inside and outside the building.
UPDATE, 3/2: Today was another sad day. A cat was found, deceased, on the third floor. The owner has been notified, and we continue to work with Until We Meet Again to handle the remains and traps remain set for the cats still missing.
UPDATE, 3/1: Sad news - today the first deceased cat was found on the third floor. The owner has been notified and we are working with Until We Meet Again to care for the remains. Traps are still there and we hope we’ll find other cats.
UPDATE, 2/28: GOOD NEWS!! The wonderful folks at FirstOnSite caught a cat today. He was spooked by them and they followed, found and returned him to his owners. We are going to try and place traps as close as possible to the units where the cats lived.
UPDATE, 2/27: We continue to have traps set. The weather at night is not helpful for catching cats - too much precipitation. Sadly, no sightings of anything by the restoration employees.
UPDATE, 2/26: Nothing to report on the trapping side of things. However, the last cat was picked up from boarding at the vet. Big thank you to Fraser Valley Animal Hospital on Ware.
UPDATE, 2/25: Nothing to report. We continue to have traps on the third floor and outside the building. Last night was stormy and that's not helpful when trapping cats. It would be helpful if we had less precipitation.
UPDATE, 2/24: Good news!! We have reunited a cat from the third floor with his owner! There was one cat in a trap this morning when the restoration reported to work. This gives us hope that there still may be other cats to trap. We will continue on site with our traps, overnight on the third floor and outside around the building.
UPDATE, 2/23, #2: The FirstOnSite Restoration is going to place some traps on the third floor overnight. Hopefully, we will catch somebody.
UPDATE, 2/23, #1: Still no joy and we have to stop trapping inside the building as the restoration company is at it full bore and the traps are in the way and could be damaged, plus if they bump them, they close. We have set traps outside the building, where allowed. We are not allowed on the church side of the building but the cats should smell the food and go to the traps. The people working there will contact CDART is they see any signs of cats.
UPDATE, 2/22: Sadly, no cats trapped this weekend. We will be going to the site to set some up outside and re-bait some inside. The weather was bad but they should be hungry enough to be trapped now.
UPDATE, 2/21: No cats trapped yesterday. 7 traps remain set in the building. We considered setting some up outside today (just in case) but with the weather and where we are permitted to place the traps as deterrents, we decided to wait.
UPDATE, 2/20: We set our 7 traps last night. Thanks to Heart & Soul and Katie's Place for providing additional traps. Now we hope and wait for the cats to get hungry enough to overcome their fear.
UPDATE, 2/19: With the ESS centre closed, we will only be doing one update a day unless we catch a cat. We will be setting 7 traps over the weekend in an attempt to catch all the cats still missing. If anyone sees a cat, please note when and where and what the cat looked like, and we can move traps if necessary. For now, we're proceeding on the basis that they're still in the building.
UPDATE, 2/18, PM: No news tonight. ESS has closed the centre at the church. CDART will continue to work with FirstOnSite to try and trap the cats missing from the 3rd floor.
UPDATE, 2/18, AM: CDART will not be on site today. However there is still cat food and crates if you're in need. We will be liaising with the restoration company and monitoring the traps. ESS remains on site today.
UPDATE, 2/17, PM: Today was a good day. We trapped the last cat from the second floor and returned her to her owner!
We are continuing to try to trap the 7 cats still missing, all from the third floor. And we had one cat seen by the vet to make sure she's going to be okay. We also gave out crates to people who needed them. Thank you to Heart & Soul for bringing in more crates since we had already given ours out.
Hoping for some more trapping success. The project manager is an animal lover who’s very supportive of our efforts, and was very happy that we reunited cat and owner today.
UPDATE, 2/17, AM: A CDART volunteer will be on site today, 12-5. There is donated cat food available. We also have crates if needed. More to come this evening, including update on trapping.
UPDATE, 2/16, PM: We didn't catch any cats today but the traps are still set and we are getting great cooperation on the ground from the restoration company and the property management company. Hoping for some success as the cats get hungry.
UPDATE, 2/16, AM: We will be at the ESS reception/recovery centre from 10-4 today.
UPDATE, 2/15, PM: FirstOnSite Restoration has assisted us by placing traps inside the building. Because the cats we are trying to trap are indoor only, we feel inside traps will make it easier to catch the missing cats. We will work with them to try and reunite everyone.
There are no donations needed at this time but we will post here, if/when that changes. Thank you all for caring!
UPDATE, 2/15, AM: CDART will be attending the information meeting today and will have more details later.
February 14, 2021 - CDART deployed to the Delair Court fire this morning at the request of Abbotsford ESS. We assisted as the fire department entered the units, first and second floor only, to retrieve missing animals. The third floor is inaccessible at this time. We have set traps for the animals that remain missing.
We have a list provided to us by ESS and added to by our volunteer on site. We will be contacting people on the list to obtain descriptions of their missing pets.
If anyone is missing a pet and is unsure whether CDART has their information, please contact us at info@cdart.org or advise ESS in Abbotsford. They will be at the church next door again tomorrow from 10-4.
Shout to members of the Abbotsford Fire Department who rescued so many animals and to Fraser Valley Animal Hospital for benevolent boarding. Thank you to Heart and Soul Rescue for donations and assistance with cat trapping. Additional thanks to The Salvation Army, KG Property Management, FirstOnSite Restoration and ESM Security for recognizing the importance of pets and supporting CDART in our efforts to find the ones still missing.
Abbotsford fire media reports:
Relief efforts underway for victims of Abbotsford apartment fire (February 16, 2021)
Abbotsford fire could mean up to 200 people without homes
‘I saw my life going up in flames’: Abbotsford fire displaces over 100 people
Dozens of people without homes after fire destroys Abbotsford apartment building
Fort St. John
May 18, 2016 - We have offered the assistance of our Mobile Support Team to the Emergency Services responding to the Fort St. John fires. We were considered but were not deployed. All evacuation orders were rescinded.
Fort McMurray
May 4, 2016 - We have offered the assistance of our Mobile Support Team to the Emergency Services in Alberta responding to the Fort McMurray situation. CDART is unable to deploy unless requested by the responding authority.
La Ronge Saskatchewan Wildfire
July 09, 2015 2100 hours (9pm) - CDART reached out to Northern Animal Rescue Humane Society to offer support in the effort to help animals from evacuated communities in northern Saskatchewan. Our national coordinator received a phone call this morning and discussed the situation with Joanne.
They are sheltering some animals that have been evacuated as well as providing maintenance for animals still remaining in La Ronge. CDART sent our Animal Intake Form and Action Request Form for them to assist with their response. They are doing a good job with the resources and training available to them.
CDART does not self-deploy so we cannot provide a mobile support team without authorization from local authorities. We have offered logistical support by cell phone 24/7 for the duration of their response. They have also requested training after the summer wildfire season.
6.7 Magnitude Earthquake on Vancouver Island
April 23, 2014 - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake has hit Vancouver Island. We have contacted EMBC and were told we are not needed at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation, and teams will deploy if requested.
Alberta Flooding 2013
CDART is actively monitoring the flood situation in Alberta. We have offered our expertise in disaster response and sheltering, and are working with government agencies to receive the authorization to deploy.
OTHER RESPONSES
a mud slide threatened a condominium complex in Penticton
a house burned in Lake Country
a Surrey, B.C., apartment complex burned
the Similkameen River Ice Jam occurred
the Fraser River freshet threatened (2007)
the Tatoosh Fire approached Princeton (2006)
in 1996, CDART volunteers participated in the Similkameen Flood Watch.
If you have any questions or wish to assist the response and recovery effort, please contact our mobile support coordinator at info@cdart.org
We will be posting updates if and when they happen.