Former Cape Breton woman returns home to Fort McMurray after wildfire
Almost two months after wildfires forced her family to flee, former Cape Bretoner Verna Murphy has finally returned to her home in Fort McMurray, Alta.
She said there's still a long road ahead before life returns to normal.
The fire hit Fort McMurray on May 3, destroyed 2,400 buildings and forced more than 80,000 people from their homes. At its peak, the fire moved at 30 to 40 metres per minute and created its own weather patterns.
Murphy, her husband and their three children were originally evacuated to the camps north of the city.
They were then flown to Edmonton, where they had been living in a downtown apartment until last weekend.
On Sunday, Murphy returned to Fort McMurray and saw the damage to her home for the first time.
"We had a flood in the basement when we got here," she told CBC's Information Morning in Sydney.
House in disarray
Their fridges were still sitting in the kitchen, full of food, the dishwasher still full of dirty dishes.
She said she's since moved the fridges out and has plumbers and cleaners coming this week.
"We still have no water, no air conditioning. We have no phone line."
She's said she's been told it will be at least another month before they get their clothes, towels and sheets back.
"So we're still on our little journey out here," she said. "But it's so good to be just back in Fort McMurray right now."
While many families began returning to their homes in early June, Murphy says she has severe lung issues and wanted to wait until the air quality improved.
'House after house completely gone'
Two of their sons have birthdays this week and they wanted to be back home to celebrate.
She said visiting some of the more badly damaged neighbourhoods was emotional.
"I mean you see it on TV, but when you're driving by and it's your neighbour's house that is gone — we've had some in our subdivision that are gone — and then to see the next subdivision, just house after house after house completely gone...
"You're standing there and you're seeing people sifting through trying to find something left in the ash... It was a lot to take in yesterday, along with just coming back and dealing with everything," she said.
In the meantime, she says many families, hers included, are still dealing with their insurance carriers, trying to learn how much of the damage to their homes — and subsequent expenses — will be covered.
She said everyone will need to be patient.
"For us it's just short-term really. It's going to be a few months. But for other people it's going to be years before things are really back to — I don't think it's ever going to be the same — but at least it'll be back to some normalcy for people. But it's gonna take a while."
