‘Rez Cross’ centres on reserves should be formalized, expert says
Ad hoc centres on Saskatchewan reserves have eased the trauma of evacuees forced to flee northern forest fires and should be formalized in any future crisis, an expert in wildfire evacuations says.
The so-called “Rez Cross” facilities are a “culturally appropriate” alternative to the Red Cross, says Jim Waldram, medical and psychological anthropologist at the University of Saskatchewan.
“It’s a model that by definition is going to greatly reduce (evacuee) distress,” he said.
Traditional food and activities are made a priority at the Rez Cross, and the guidelines are more lax while still keeping evacuee safety a priority.
“We’re talking about intentionally proud, self-reliant northern communities,” he said. “We need to appreciate that there is an enormous capacity in these areas for them to take care of each other.”
The first impromptu Rez Cross opened at Beardy’s & Okemasis First Nation at the beginning of July. The centre began with the intention of providing a space to stay with a little more comforts of home. It quickly reached capacity as evacuees flocked from Red Cross facilities.
Additional First Nations centres then opened at Big River First Nation, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation and James Smith Cree Nation. The aboriginal grassroots centres were named the Rez Cross because they mimicked larger scale Red Cross congregation centres.
Waldram has studied mass evacuations, including an in-depth report into the 2011 forest fire near Wollaston Lake that displaced 1,300 members of the Hatchet Lake First Nation and plans to study how this year’s forest fire evacuations were handled.
More than 10,000 evacuees were scattered across the province as a result of the evacuation. Once they were placed in various centres in different towns, they were left bored and helpless, Waldram said.
He said local and provincial leaders should develop a protocol that would allow Rez Cross chapters to officially operate in the future should another prolonged crisis happen.
People are grateful for the efforts of the Red Cross, provincial services and the military — and Saskatchewan will always need those supports, Waldram said. However, their methods aren’t “necessarily compatible with the evacuees’ way of life.”
Red Cross centres are “wonderful in a pinch,” he said, noting the wildfire situation was chaotic
In times of high threat to communities, officials are responsible for rapidly removing people out. However, there are social, psychological and cultural harms that stem from the evacuation process and the situation thereafter.
“When suddenly the state moves in and starts ordering people around, there’s always going to be backlash because of historical reasons.”