Months after a wildfire forced the evacuation of tens of thousands from Fort McMurray, officials with the municipality were outlining plans for residents of two of those worst-hit neighbourhoods.
About two thirds of residents in Abasand and Beacon Hill, will be allowed to return home in the Phase 1 re-entry, set to start August 31.
The plan was released following an updated recommendation from Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Karen Grimsrud on Thursday.
“My updated recommendations follow a comprehensive re-entry and mitigation plan developed by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to enable residents to re-enter and re-occupy some areas of Abasand and Beacon Hill,” Dr. Grimsrud said in a statement.
In Abasand, 429 homes are still standing, and Phase 1 will mean just over half of the residents will be able to return at the end of the month.
In Beacon Hill, 245 homes are still standing, and three quarters of those residents will be allowed to return.
In total, 439 homes are deemed safe to return to.
However, the situation in Waterways, another Fort McMurray neighbourhood, is still dire – as 85 percent of the houses were destroyed, and it is still considered too dangerous for residents to return.
“Waterways is going to take another little bit of work, but it certainly part of that three-stage, next entry phase that the staff is working on,” Councillor Keith McGrath said. “Not just about re-entry for Waterways but total landscape change that allows people to construct back in Waterways.”
The first phase of the re-entry plan is set to start August 31.
With files from Michel Boyer
