The enormity of the damage caused on the Conception Bay North Shore is starting to sink in and the provincial government is pledging assistance to help people put their lives back together.

The province has put together a special emergency response cabinet committee to address the many needs, as disaster relief and rebuilding efforts begin.

Premier John Hogan says residents of Small Point, Broad Cove, Adam’s Cove and Blackhead have been notified on the status of their homes and property, and the residents of Western Bay and Ochre Pit Cove are getting their notifications starting today.

This is week three for many evacuees. Hogan says the scope of the disaster is still being assessed, and the fire is still very much out of control, but officials are feeling much more optimistic in their firefighting efforts in the region.

‘Kingston is not a place to live, Kingston is a way of life’

Hogan paid a visit to the emergency centre at Carbonear Academy yesterday and met personally with those affected.

“Of course they’re upset, they’ve lost their homes. One lady I spoke to lost her home, her three sons lost their homes. This was in Kingston. I’ll remember what she said to me, that ‘Kingston is not a place to live, Kingston is a way of life.'” Hogan says he had no words to comfort her, just to tell her that the province will be there to rebuild and work with them on what these communities will look like in future.”

Hogan says while the smoke is still preventing a full assessment of the damage, he did say that in some areas, community centres, and town council offices are also gone.

He got a tour by helicopter yesterday and indicated that it was still far too smoky to see very much, but in the areas where the smoke had cleared it was hard to determine the level of damage, because everything is gone. “You would need that local knowledge, and I don’t even know if that would work from a helicopter, to see what houses are gone. ‘Cause there’s literally nothing left. They are burned to the ground in ash. Even the brick chimneys are gone.”

Premier details role of special cabinet committee

The premier says preliminary assessment planning has begun in CBN, but the process is complicated by the fact that many affected communities have no town council.

He offered more information on the cabinet committee and what their next steps will be.

“They will meet with local leaders and community members, with the federal government, with the provincial government, and we will identify ways to assist people during this difficult time.”

“This multi-pronged approach will be chaired by Minister (Jamie) Korab, who is responsible for housing and has very close ties to this region. the committee will consist of the ministers of education, health, industry, energy and technology, municipal affairs, justice and public safety, and transportation and infrastructure, and they will begin working on these issues immediately.”