One in a ten-part series showcasing the volunteerism, community and resilience surrounding those evacuated due to the wildfires engulfing parts of the B.C. Interior.
Tanya Kielpinski was cleaning the bathroom of her travel trailer during her phone interview with the Reporter 91裸聊视频渏ust for some normal.91裸聊视频
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 so funny because it91裸聊视频檚 the last thing I should be doing, but I just, I don91裸聊视频檛 know. I think it will help,91裸聊视频 she said. 91裸聊视频淵ou know what it91裸聊视频檚 like when you just need a little bit of normal?91裸聊视频
Kielpinski is one of the 43,000 wildfire evacuees who is desperately hoping for a bit more normal. It91裸聊视频檚 now more than 14 days since Kielpinski and her family were forced to leave their home in 150 Mile House; Kielpinski and her three sons are living in their travel trailer at a resort 20 minutes outside of Salmon Arm. Her husband left on Wednesday, July 19 to work up north for two weeks.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 been surreal. I don91裸聊视频檛 even know how to explain it,91裸聊视频 Kielpinski said.
91裸聊视频淭o be honest, those days [after the evacuation] kind of all mixed to me. We were evacuated four times in two days, so I don91裸聊视频檛 remember all of it.91裸聊视频
The Kielpinskis were camping near Shuswap when they recieved the evacuation order for 150 Mile House. Unable to return home to grab anything beyond what was already in their trailer, the family drove up to 100 Mile House, hoping to get temporary access to check on their cat and chickens.
That night, 100 Mile House was evacuated.
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Kielpinski moved on to Sheridan Lake, still hoping to get temporary access to their home. Sheridan Lake was then put on evacuation alert, and the local MLA requested that anyone already evacuated leave the community so residents could prepare to evacuate.
91裸聊视频淭hen it91裸聊视频檚 kind of been two nights here, two nights there, just trying to find a place to set up home,91裸聊视频 Kielpinski said.
On top of evacuations and home worries, Kielpinski had another problem. Her father, Terry Tomm, had booked a 14-day, father-daughter trip to Europe, but because of the evacuation order, Kielpinski hadn91裸聊视频檛 been able to grab her passport.
91裸聊视频淚 [also] knew I couldn91裸聊视频檛 leave my family,91裸聊视频 she said. 91裸聊视频淚 have three boys. And animals. I just knew I couldn91裸聊视频檛 leave while this was happening to my home.91裸聊视频
Tomm hadn91裸聊视频檛 purchased cancellation insurance. When Kielpinski was evacuated on July 7, their trip was seven days away.
Tomm called , their flight provider, and asked if he could move the flight dates. They offered him a $400 refund on the two tickets to London. Then, he called , the tour company he had booked with.
91裸聊视频淭his was now five days before the trip,91裸聊视频 Kielpinski said. 91裸聊视频淭hey said that if my dad had called six days ago, they could have possibly done something, but because it91裸聊视频檚 such short notice, there91裸聊视频檚 not much they can do.
91裸聊视频淎t that point I got kind of upset, because I knew my dad was going to be out all this money. So I took to social media.91裸聊视频
On a Facebook post, which Kielpinski took down three hours later to avoid negative comments about her dad not purchasing cancellation insurance, Kielpinski asked for suggestions on how to deal with her trip.
Someone tagged Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon on the post. Kielpinski had grown up in North Delta, and Tomm currently lives in the community, but Kahlon didn91裸聊视频檛 know this when he first saw the post.
91裸聊视频淣ormally, at work you serve the people of North Delta,91裸聊视频 Kahlon said. 91裸聊视频淏ut I just felt like I just wanted to help.91裸聊视频
91裸聊视频淭he fire is all around them, they91裸聊视频檙e doing so much,91裸聊视频 he added. 91裸聊视频淚 thought the last thing they should be worrying about is this.91裸聊视频
He called Kielpinski, and told her she didn91裸聊视频檛 need to worry about her trip.
91裸聊视频淲hen Ravi first called me, the initial feeling I can say was huge relief, because I just felt so appreciative of someone helping,91裸聊视频 she said.
Kahlon called British Airways, getting help from the . At first, there was nothing. Eventually, he managed to secure Tomm and Kielpinski credit to rebook their flights any time in the next six months.
Then it was on to Expat Explore, which eventually credited the pair most of their money, allowing them to use the credit anytime in the next year.
91裸聊视频淚 think we lost maybe $1,500 or something from that,91裸聊视频 Kielpinski said. 91裸聊视频淚t all worked out amazing.91裸聊视频
Thanks to help from strangers and social media, Kielpinski doesn91裸聊视频檛 have to worry about Europe or her dad91裸聊视频檚 finances anymore. She can focus on creating a plan for her family that will keep them focused for the next two weeks.
91裸聊视频淣o one knows when we are going home. People think that it will be a while,91裸聊视频 she said.
91裸聊视频淥ur plan is to set up here for the next week or two. If our house does get let back in, that91裸聊视频檚 what I will do.91裸聊视频
In the meantime, Kielpinski is going to keep cleaning the bathroom.