A shortage of supplies and fuel in the Alberni Valley and west coast of Vancouver Island should be addressed starting today.
Highway 4, the only paved route into the area, has been closed because a large wildfire at Cameron Bluffs has sent debris onto the road, blocking several sections.
The province is organizing commercial vehicle convoys starting at 5 a.m. today. The escorted convoys will run four times a day for as long as required.
“The intent is just to move a larger amount of goods than we have been seeing,” said Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions. Pilot vehicles will lead and follow the convoys along a detour route to the Alberni Valley. “It’s just to make sure it’s done without issue and that it’s really clear to any non-commercial vehicles who are driving (the route) what the route is for and the importance of getting those trucks to our community.”
Port Alberni and communities along the west coast of the Island have been dealing with significant supply delays.
A four-hour detour route runs between Port Alberni and Lake Cowichan via the Bamfield area using forest-service and privately owned industrial roads, but it was closed temporarily Friday night due to an accident.
Minions said it was starting to get a little nerve-racking as gas stations started to run out of fuel.
“There was a lot of discomfort from the trucking industry for fuel trucks to drive that [detour] road, but that’s been managed and they have started to come again,” she said.
Minions said there was probably some panic buying, and having just come through the COVID-19 pandemic, it should have been expected. “It’s such a natural reaction to uncertainty. Those first couple of days we really had no information and having this road being closed to our community is terrifying,” she said. Panic buying is “such a natural response to needing to make sure that you can feed your family.”
Minions said she expects behaviour should settle back to normal as the community starts to see a more regular flow of goods.
The province said commercial vehicles can also use the detour to travel outside of the convoy windows.
Other drivers who insist on using the detour route will be held back for the commercial traffic.
Minions said no one knows how long it will be before Highway 4 is re-opened. “The first step is getting the fire to a state of being under control.”
Donna McPherson, information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, said progress has been made on the fire.
“We had some precipitation on June 9 and overnight we got 15 millimetres with more expected today [Saturday] so that’s good news for the firefighters,” she said. Rain, cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity have made the fire less active. “It’s smouldering with a bit of flame. That gives our crew a chance to do some pretty good work.”
Crews are working on containment lines on all sides of the blaze, which now covers about 245 hectares. The work is slow in many places because of steep hills and treacherous conditions.
The fire has not been moving west toward Cathedral Grove, nor east toward homes. McPherson said the only direction it is moving is up the mountain.
The weekend’s cooler weather is only a temporary break; the weather forecast calls for a return to hot and dry for the longer term. “We talk about 15 millimetres of rain, and that sounds wonderful, but it’s not enough to break that hard drought that we’ve got.”
Minions said with some progress the community has been able to breathe again. “There’s been a hard couple of days with the uncertainty, but I think we’re starting to feel a little bit of a sense that it’s all going to be okay.”
The Alberni Valley has tried to impress upon tourists that now is not the time to visit.
Late Friday, the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, City of Port Alberni, the District of Ucluelet, Tseshaht, Hupačasath, Tla-o-qui-aht, Huu-ay-aht, Uchucklesaht, Toquaht, and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ First Nations joined together to thank tourists for not travelling.
“As fuel supplies are extremely limited, we are asking for support in limiting travel to essential purposes only. The safety of our residents is our primary concern, and we need to ensure our emergency services have adequate supply of fuel to continue delivering services,” the group wrote.
Tourism Tofino advised travellers already in Tofino to remain there if they can.
“The safety and well-being of our visitors and local community are of utmost importance, and we are closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with local authorities and transportation departments,” Danielle Fox, Tourism Tofino’s media relations coordinator, said in an email.
Shawna Gardham, public relations manager at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, said their team has been “navigating this unusual situation in stride connecting with each guest individually to find most suitable arrangements for each guest.”
She said some guests have been making their way to the hotel by taking advantage of increased flights with Harbour Air or Pacific Coastal Airlines, while others are rebooking for future dates.
“Being in a remote village, we tend to store extra supplies and source as much food locally as possible. So far any supplies we receive from suppliers outside the area have been finding their way to us,” she said.
Minions said many travellers seem to be getting the message that now is not the time to visit, but she said there are still those who insist.
“The Ministry of Transportation has checkpoints [on the detour route] and they are seeing tourists coming through saying, ‘we’re going to Tofino’ and I certainly don’t speak on behalf of Tofino, but I feel a bit protective from my community when we have people going through and likely utilizing our limited resources. I just feel very strongly it is not the time for that. We need to make sure that we keep that road as clear as possible. That means as few people on it as possible, unless it’s absolutely essential.”
Minions said it’s likely this closure will reignite debate on pushing the province for funding for another highway to the Alberni Valley.
“There’s been an ongoing discussion in the community outside of this event for decades,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have that now?”
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