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Cash is king if you want to help 100 Mile House evacuees

Giving cash is the quickest and perhaps most effective way to help ease the stress for evacuees escaping the forest fires further to the south.
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Giving cash is the quickest and perhaps most effective way to help ease the stress for evacuees escaping the forest fires further to the south.

The best route is to go through the Canadian Red Cross's British Columbia Fires Appeal which can be found through the home page at redcross.ca.

As a bonus, the Red Cross will provide a receipt for income tax purposes.

Be wary of other online fundraising efforts or people going door-to-door seeking donations. Scammers are known to pop up in times like this.

"Don't give anybody any money until you confirm who they are and that they're legitimately working for an organization or volunteering for a non-profit society," Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass said.

As for dropping off food, clothing, and other items - don't. Such offers, "while kind, can create logistical issues for staff that can hamper efforts to help the evacuees," the city has said.

However, those interested in providing space in their homes or a driveway to park an out-of-town camper are welcome to post their offering on the city's Facebook page.

"And then people can say 'private message me, if you want this,'" city spokesman Rob Van Adrichem said.

Above all, simple acts of hospitality are being encouraged.

"Be welcoming," Van Adrichem said. "There are a lot of people here in Prince George who have come from a tough situation and I think one area we can help is just show them hospitality."

Evacuees, meanwhile, are asked to go straight the emergency operations centre at College of New Caledonia.

"They need to go to CNC and register and from there they can get this other information," Van Adrichem said.