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Registrations continue to slow for Cloverdale evacuation centre

The centre has reduced its hours until more evacuation orders are issued
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Volunteers help setup an evacuation centre in Cloverdale on Sunday, July 16. (Lance Peverley/Peace Arch News)

More than 3,600 people have registered as evacuees at the Cloverdale evacuation centre, but those numbers continue to slow as fewer evacuation orders are issued for the Interior.

Since the centre opened on Sunday, July 16, there have been 3,613 people registered as evacuees. However, only 19 people registered on Thursday, Aug. 3, compared to almost 700 on Monday, July 17. This is a continuation of the steady decline that started in the centre’s second week.

Related: Wildfire evacuee registration at Cloverdale centre in ‘steady decline’

“They are starting to reduce their times of being open in order to keep their volunteers fresh,” Assistant Fire Chief Shelley Morris said. “It’s quite a lot of time they’ve put in there.”

The centre’s new hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will remain on the reduced hours until the number of people registering increases.

The centre is closed on Sundays in August, and will also be closed for B.C. day.

The 108 cots set up in the arena for overnight lodgings have still remained unused during the nearly three weeks the centre has been open. There are currently two RVs using the free hookup site at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, up from one last week. In the first week the centre was open, there were 13 RVs at the Fairgrounds.

The Cloverdale Evacuation Centre is not able to take in donations of goods. However, Morris said donations of gas cards are always welcome.

“That’s something they are not able to provide,” Morris said. “If people wanted to help out and donate, the gas cards have been phenomenal.”

“It can be detrimental if they start coming in with the things that aren’t needed, because it becomes a logistic nightmare,” she added.

Donations of goods and cash can be made to Salvation Army locations in Surrey, White Rock, Delta, Langley and New Westminster. Learn more at thriftstore.ca. Monetary donations can also be made to Red Cross at redcross.ca.

If you’d like to learn about volunteering at the centre, visit the City of Surrey’s Emergency Social Services page.