The artist formerly know as Spy

my home province, nova scotia, is currently suffering from uncontrollable wildfires. more than 200 homes have been destroyed, over 16 000 residents have been forced to evacuate, and the fires keep spreading. just now, we've gotten the alert that they're in bedford, which is pretty much right next to halifax city proper.

nova scotia is a very small and relatively poorer province in comparison to ontario, british columbia, quebec--so we have fewer resources, and all of them are stretched thin trying to diminish these wildfires. the federal gov is ostensibly prepared to help and send more resources, but the damage has already been done to the small and mostly aging communities that reside here. unless a miracle happens, that damage will likely get more extensive.

i know and understand that times are financially very hard right now for everybody, and it can be difficult to care about a place you've never heard of. as of writing this, only red cross is providing substantial financial relief for displaced people; the only "reputable" charity set up for recovery efforts is by united way. the newness of the situation makes it hard to determine who needs and can get what! so a lot of individuals have taken to sites like gofundme.

the coast, one of our local newspapers, has put together an ongoing list of resources to see for people who have been affected, and how others can help. (granted, a lot of it will likely be meaningless to you if you don't live here.) that said:

if you can help spread the word and keep nova scotia in your hearts, that would be greatly, greatly appreciated. i'll be updating this post when more information comes to light on how people can help our communities recover!