Fire evacuations: Tips for returning to your home after wildfire evacuations

Returning home from an evacuation: Kitchen and food safety

Check food for signs of going bad, even if it was stored in the fridge and there were no power outages at your home.

Returning home from an evacuation: Cleaning soot, ash or forest fire residue in a home or buildings

During an evacuation due to wildfires, ash, soot or smoke residue may have gotten inside of homes and buildings.

Returning home from an evacuation: Covering financial losses from damaged goods

There are steps you can to cover financial losses from damaged goods, whether you are insured or not.

Outdoor Air Quality

Air quality can change hour by hour, depending on the forest fire situation, weather and wind changes.

Most communities in Eeyou Istchee have Purple Air sensors installed. These sensors send air quality data to the Purple Air Map, which displays an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI).

The Air Quality Health Index is a scale designed in Canada to help understand the impact of air quality on health.

Currently, there are Purple Air sensors in Chisasibi, Eastmain, Mistissini, Nemaska, Oujé-Bougoumou, Waskaganish, Wemindji and Whapmagoostui.

Air Quality Map from Purple Air

If actual Air Quality Health Index measures aren’t available near you, pay attention to other information:

The smell of smoke in the air
Seeing hazy air
Yellow colour in the sky

Also pay attention to how you feel, and whether you have any symptoms like an itchy throat or cough. There are signs the air quality may be poor.

When the outdoor air quality stays poor (more than 7 on the Air Quality Health Index [AQHI]) and you have to be outside for an extended time, wearing an N95 or KN95 mask can help reduce the amount of small particles you breathe in from smoke in the air.

Basic medical masks (the kind most commonly used during the pandemic) and cloth masks do not filter the air enough to stop fine particles from fire smoke from being breathed in.