Updates: September 16, 2024

Recovery Manager In Place - A Recovery Manager is in place to help people navigate through any remaining recovery challenges they are having following the windstorm.  Questions about anything related to the clean up and recovery from the wind event (including things like danger trees, debris management, connections to other resources) can be directed to him:

   Trevor Kier, Community Recovery Manager – Contractore
   e. [email protected] 
   c. 250-417-9732

He will be in place until at least September 30th.  At that time, we will review whether there is a need for the recovery services to be extended.

Disaster Financial Assistance - We have not yet heard on whether this event will be deemed eligible for Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA).  We do not yet know when we may hear back from the Province; however, we will advise the community of the Province’s decision either way (and include the next steps if it is deemed eligible).
 

UPDATE #3: August 20/24 - 11:11am

• Medical Health Officer Dr. Andy Delli Pizzi reports that based on a comprehensive assessment from the Ministry of Environment, the current diesel spill does not pose any health risk.
  • He continues: the precautionary water quality advisory is still in effect due to the 2023 diesel spill. There were no observed impacts to groundwater sources from the 2023 spill. However Interior Health still advises groundwater users to monitor their water and use an alternate source of water if they notice any changes.
• For updates on the status of the remediation, residents can contact the Ministry of Environment at 250-953-3834.
• As Interior Health and the Ministry of Environment have concluded their investigation into the spill, this will be our last update on this incident
   

UPDATE #2: Aug.19.24 - 6:02pm

• This afternoon, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) response officer has been on the site of this morning's fuel spill in Jaffray, as it falls under Provincial jurisdiction 
• The spill, which was caused when a weld on a connector on the tank cracked and began slowly leaking diesel, is believed to have been 260 litres.
• The spill was in a small space and was confined to the area of the truck/tank and parking lot and little-to-no diesel is believed to have penetrated the surrounding dirt. The MOE believes the quick actions on site by our firefighters and the HVAC truck contained and captured the vast majority of the spilled fuel.
• Recognizing it may take some time for the MOE and Interior Health (IH) to complete their required assessments, earlier today the RDEK Emergency Operations Centre applied to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness for funding approval for a potable water truck until such time as the full impacts were better understood. The Province denied the request.
• We have not yet heard from IH, who were awaiting the site report and consultation with the MOE before determining what, if any, additional steps would be required.

UPDATE #1: August 19.24 - 7:20am

• Members of the Jaffray Fire Department responded to a fuel spill at a commercial location in Jaffray this morning.
• A vac truck is on site and a safety response officer is en route from High River.  
• The Ministry of Environment has also been notified.
• 6 Firefighters and 3 apparatus from the Jaffray Fire Department responded and secured the scene, which will now be taken over by safety response officers.
• The Ministry of Environment will take over the lead on the spill response and clean-up. Work is underway to mobilize those resources.