As officials continue to remove debris from downtown Wheatley, residents will be able to access more vital services from temporary locations away from the evacuation zone.
A mobile RBC unit has been established in the parking lot of the Wheatley Arena while the downtown RBC branch remains closed.
Adamson Guardian drugs is operating out of the Thomson Guardian drugs Leamington location at 20 Talbot St. East. Patients / customers can still dial the Wheatley number 519-825-4111. The number has been forwarded to the new location. Work continues on returning to a Wheatley location.
Wheatley mail is currently being transferred to the Leamington Post Office where additional resources are being used to handle the increased volume.
Residents can visit the Leamington location until further notice. For evacuated residents that are unable to attend the Leamington Post Office, please call Canada Post Customer Service at 1-800-267-1177. Canada Post also intends to make every effort to deliver parcels to customers not within the evacuation area.
Emergency officials turned off electricity to the approximately 50 locations within the evacuation zone Tuesday. Officials investigated reports of gas during the Labour Day Weekend and discovered low levels of natural gas near some Enbridge lines within the evacuation area.
It was determined that although the gas did not pose an immediate danger to the public, electricity should be turned off as a precaution.
No further natural gas has been detected in the area nor has any hydrogen sulphide been detected at the blast site since August 26.
Residents with concerns about their property, business or personal expenses are urged to contact their insurance companies to determine their coverage and to be able to access firms who deal with restoration and mitigation Issues.
Local community aid efforts are being coordinated through the Active Citizens of Wheatley, the Wheatley Business Improvement Area and the Wheatley Food Bank. Information on activities can be found at the active citizens Facebook group.
The reception centre at the Wheatley Arena has had 194 visits from 95 unique households. The centre is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. The municipality continues to provide accommodation for nine households with 25 residents. Evacuees should call 519-351-8573 during office hours and ask to speak to a Wheatley Crisis Case Manager. After office hours they can call 519-354-6628 and they will be assisted with access to an on-call supervisor.
Residents who need information after hours can call 519-350-2956.
Wheatley residents who would like to be added to the municipality’s email subscription service can do so by calling 3-1-1 or 519-360-1998 during regular business hours or by emailing ck311@chatham-kent.ca with contact information (name, phone number, address, email address).
A 90-minute question and answer session held Saturday remains on municipal Facebook and YouTube channels for viewing.
Wheatley residents concerned about where to vote in the September 20 federal election can enter their address at www.elections.ca to find their polling location.
