Williams Lake

[Queen K]

Facebook also has the WilliamsLakeTribune to look at.

[Queen K]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#201592

You'll like the last part of this article MJ.

[Glacier]

Horsefly is running out of supplies. They're worried about a baby boom because they're running out of condoms. Also, they're low of gas and food.

[Merry]

I know of someone in WL who has been packed and ready to go since Monday, but was planning on staying in town until an evocation order was issued. He's been trying since Monday to arrange to have his DL extended for a few days, because it expires today and if he didn't get the extension he'd have no choice but to leave before it expires.

The only place in WL to get a new license is Service Canada, and their office has been closed since Monday. He's phoned ICBC every single day since, asking them if he can get a short extension over the phone, and been told that they're not "set up to do that". Apparently (or so he was told) they could help if you phoned from a foreign country, but they have no procedure in place for folks calling from a fire zone here in BC.

He's called every day (Mon, Tues and Wed) and talked to three different people, each of whom checked with their supervisor, and was given the same answer each time. The best advice they could give was that he drive to Quesnel and renew it there, but if he did that then the police won't let him go back home again (the road back into WL is closed to the public, you can drive out but not back in).

If he stays, he could still get out by bus if an evacuation order is issued, but he wouldn't be able to take any of his stuff (which includes 2 dogs). So he's caught between a rock and a hard place. Leave before it's really necessary to leave, and risk having his home looted, or stay and lose absolutely everything in the event of an evacuation.

Add to that fact that I'm sure the City of Prince George will not be happy to have folks going there who don't really need to be going there. Because they've already got enough work dealing with folks who do have to be there.

The bottom line is that the Government ought to have procedures in place in such situations to allow temporary telephone extensions for things like driving licenses .

[BoB76]

Maybe he should have got his license earlier..... no surprise it's flood and fire season.

[Merry]

Maybe he should have got his license earlier..... no surprise it's flood and fire season.

And maybe you're right, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it?

The fact is that as late as last Friday the people of WL had no idea it would come to this. The Hanceville fire (which is the one currently threatening WL) was triggered on Friday afternoon when a lightening storm hit Hanceville. And as Hanceville is a fair distance from WL, nobody in WL was overly concerned at first, because wildfires out on the Chilcotin are a fairly common event in summer.

But when it began to spread at an alarming speed towards the city, and the smoke got so dreadfully thick, then the people of WL realized their town could be at risk and began to take steps.

Frankly, in such a situation, things like Driver's License renewals do sometimes get overlooked, as your mind is occupied on saving yourself and your family and, if you have time, also saving as many of your possessions as possible. Yet, despite that, this guy DID remember, and DID go to Service Canada on the Monday, and found it closed. And he's been phoning ICBC every day since trying to get a temporary extension until the Service Canada office reopens, or the evacuation order is issued (whichever comes first).

But whatever you think of this particular guys actions, the fact remains that the Government ought to have some sort of procedure in place to deal with situations such as this one. Because there are thousands of people who have been evacuated to date, and there could easily be thousands more, so if this kind of situation applied to even 3% of those folks, that would be an awful lot of people.

It's so easy to say what such folks should, or should not have done, in the weeks prior to the emergency, but when you don't know an emergency is about to happen, and intend to take care of such things in what would normally be considered plenty of time, finger pointing is not helpful. There needs to be some way of getting a few days "grace" to give people time to rectify the situation.

Everyone knows what's happening in Williams Lake (and other fire zones). Would it really be all that difficult to allow people in such areas to call in, provide all their details, and be given some sort of confirmation number allowing a one week extension on their licenses?

[WalterWhite]

I really have to doubt that he'd get a ticket for driving without a license fleeing a fire under evacuation order should he happen to be pulled over.

[Merry]

I really have to doubt that he'd get a ticket for driving without a license fleeing a fire under evacuation order should he happen to be pulled over.

I agree but he's more concerned about not having insurance (which is an automatic result of driving without a valid license), because he has his truck packed to the gills with as much of his stuff he could fit in, as well as a very expensive boat on tow. So, if something were to happen while he was without his license, he could suffer a very hefty financial loss.

It's bad enough that he may lose his home and everything in it, without having to risk all the stuff he managed to take with him. I really don't understand why the Government couldn't arrange for folks like him to get a few days extension over the phone. It just seems like bureaucracy gone mad to me.

[Glacier]

Cooler weather has allowed fire fighters to perform a backburn so the fire won't come down into Williams Lake.

[Hassel99]

I really have to doubt that he'd get a ticket for driving without a license fleeing a fire under evacuation order should he happen to be pulled over.

I agree but he's more concerned about not having insurance (which is an automatic result of driving without a valid license), because he has his truck packed to the gills with as much of his stuff he could fit in, as well as a very expensive boat on tow. So, if something were to happen while he was without his license, he could suffer a very hefty financial loss.

It's bad enough that he may lose his home and everything in it, without having to risk all the stuff he managed to take with him. I really don't understand why the Government couldn't arrange for folks like him to get a few days extension over the phone. It just seems like bureaucracy gone mad to me.

ICBC does not cover items stored or transported in your car, that's on your homeowners or Tenants policy (if you have one)
You are right however he would void his trailer insurance if he towed it with an uninsured vehicle.

Never leave things to the last minute you never know what will happen.

[Glacier]

The Hanceville fire is now 40,000 hectares.

[tsayta]

Timber kings burned? Damn. I like those guys

[Liquidnails]

Cooler weather has allowed fire fighters to perform a backburn so the fire won't come down into Williams Lake.

backburn.jpg

I'm having a hard time placing this viewpoint. Is the photographer located in South Lakeside, or looking toward South Lakeside. Based on where the fires are, I'd assume the former. But nothing looks familiar to me. I guess I've been gone too long.

[Glacier]

I'm having a hard time placing this viewpoint. Is the photographer located in South Lakeside, or looking toward South Lakeside. Based on where the fires are, I'd assume the former. But nothing looks familiar to me. I guess I've been gone too long.

From above Canadian Tire (southwest corner of the lake) looking northeast.

[Queen K]

Do you have any personalized news about the situation there Glace?