GOOD WORKS
TWINS IN THE FAMILY Mavis Ure, P.Eng., and Curtis Ure, P.Eng., pose for a family photo with first child Savannah and twins Waylon and Garrett. When they’re old enough, the twins will have quite a story to tell — they were born in Fort McMurray on May 3, just hours before
the mandatory wildfire evacuation. -photo courtesy Mavis Ure, P.Eng.
had to turn around and go back north,” says Rachel. Stuck in traffic, they were both dropped off in the north end and had to walk to find each other. Luckily, a friend lived close by and they ended up leaving Fort McMurray with her, heading north to Canadian Natural with a wave of other evacuees. Looking out the back window, she saw a wall of smoke over the city, glowing orange. “Police officers had barricaded the road so people were driving north on both sides of the highway,” she says. “At that point, we realized how serious it was and we wouldn’t be back in a day or two.” The couple caught a Canadian Natural flight to Edmonton at 1 a.m. They’ll always remember the welcome and support they received from the company’s employees, after a long and stressful day.
smoke damage. The Ures returned to the community in mid-June. “Unfortunately, many of our friends and co-workers have not been so fortunate,” says Mavis. “We know people who have suf- fered a complete loss and significant dam- age. I also know people whose homes are intact but they suffer anxiety from escaping through the flames. Fort McMurray is for- ever changed by this event. Even though people are back, we are still in the process of establishing a new normal.” The Drapeau family couldn’t return to their home until October. More than 400 burned homes in Beacon Hill needed to be demolished, and the couple wanted to be sure the environment was safe for baby Ashton, who arrived on August 2. His name — which means town of ash trees — was chosen as the couple flew over Fort McMurray on the morning of May 4, looking down at the burning community and forest. “We were really excited to return to Fort McMurray. We both have careers here. Now we’re going to have a family here,” says Rachel. “We don’t want to just walk away from it.”
learned that parts of their Beacon Hill neighbourhood were burning. “We thought we could get back to the house, maybe grab a few things and get a vehicle,” says Rachel, who was six months pregnant with the couple’s first child. They had packed emergency bags the night before, but — thinking the fire threat had passed — left them at home that morning. “As Patrick and a co-worker were driving towards Beacon Hill, there were flames coming over one of the hills. They
A COMMUNITY FOREVER CHANGED
Early on, the Ures and the Drapeaus thought their homes were lost. As it turned out, the fires bypassed both homes, causing mostly
WINTER 2016 PEG | 47
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