The Kuehn family, on sofa, during their stay in Vancouver, stranded by wildfires. Minister of Parliament Carla Qualtrough, rear, is leading Canada’s response to the wildfires.
By Past District Governor Chris Offer, member of the Rotary Club of Ladner, British Columbia, Canada
Wildfires in the forests of British Columbia are common but the fire season in 2017 has been one of the most destructive in many years. At its peak, 40,000 people were evacuated from farms, villages, and cities. More than 1,000 fires were burning 100,000 hectares. Numerous highways were closed, isolating large parts of the province.
Meanwhile, in the hope of moving permanently to Canada, and after more than a year filling out forms for a two-year, Canadian work permit, Barbara and Gregor Kuehn and their four young children finally arrived in Vancouver from Switzerland. They were en route to a ranch in Redstone, west of Williams Lake, British Columbia, an isolated part of the province’s interior, where they expected to work for the next two years. With all roads to their destination blocked by wildfires, they didn’t make it and they had no place to stay. Rotary stepped in to help.
Gregor and Barbara Kuehn and two of their four children …read more
Source:: Rotary International Blog
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