With evacuation orders and alerts happening West and South of the Northern Capital, Mayor Lyn Hall says the City is opening its arms to evacuees.

So far, there are eight evacuees in PG, and the City is preparing for more people to come from the Buckley-Nechako and Cariboo Regional District if the situation worsens.

Hall says they were able to help over 10,000 people last year and they are prepared to do it again.

“We are prepared, we do have the EOC Team in place and that’s paramount to what we try to do to help evacuees. Take a look at Highway 16 West, and around the Francois Lake area, they are welcomed to come to Prince George and we are prepared for that.

An Emergency Reception Centre has been set up at the CN Centre (2187 Ospika Blvd), which can be accessed by turning west off of Highway 97 onto 15th Avenue and then south onto Ospika Blvd. Evacuees are requested to register at the reception centre.

If additional communities come under an evacuation order, the City will establish a larger Emergency Reception Centre at the CN Centre. If this does happen none of the activities at the centre will be disrupted.

A web page has been created by the City to provide information for evacuees and residents at www.princegeorge.ca/wildfireevacuation.