Local restaurants provide meals for evacuated tenants

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This week Toronto Social Services, firefighters, the Canadian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other agencies and departments put their emergency training to the test as they dealt with the aftermath of the explosion and fire 2 Secord Ave.

Many of the 900 people left homeless in the incident that rocked the 22-storey building flooded the relief centre established at Secord Public School Sunday and Monday looking for assistance on what to do and where to stay.

"It's very rare you get the chance to do this," said Charles Caravan, manager program and delivery support with Toronto Social Services. "You have all these plans and you see how well they work."

With the majority of residents staying with friends or family or set up in hotels, the flurry of action that enveloped the public school following the explosion and fire had subsided by Wednesday evening when the media was allowed for the first time to tour the relief centre on Barrington Avenue.

The centre is still open 24 hours a day to serve residents displaced by Sunday morning's explosion. Two police officers stand watch over the entrance while a Red Cross volunteer sits in the lobby ready to offer assistance.

"Sunday afternoon this place was flooded and there was massive registrations going on," Caravan said.

As of Wednesday night more than 700 residents had registered with the Red Cross. Officials are asking all residents to register so they can keep them informed.

Caravan said it was fortunate the school was so close (across the street from the building) and empty due to summer vacation.

"This is not the ideal place for people to stay, but it was great for an emergency," he said.

On Sunday night 53 people stayed at the centre, sleeping on narrow green canvas cots with grey blankets provided by the Red Cross. Many families were able to stay together in classrooms with some privacy. Just nine tenants remain at the temporary shelter.

Along the hallway there are pages and pages of information for residents including a list of helpful numbers and a pamphlet about tenant rights. The classrooms, normally a setting for learning about history and math, have been transformed into hubs for different services including social service workers trying to get emergency relief to those in need and for Toronto Public Health to provide counselling to those in shock.

Further along the halfway the doors enter into the Secord Community Centre where a large room with picnic style tables and a small kitchen has been the scene of the 2,000 meals served by the Salvation Army so far.

A local pizza restaurant, Diamond Pizza, provided one meal with Pizza Pizza and Toronto Hydro and others providing food as well. The offers for help have been plentiful.

"We had just parked when we had a group of young people at the door asking what they could do," said Capt. Theresa Burry of the Salvation Army.

At 9 p.m. she was wrapping up for the day after putting on a fresh pot of coffee. She'd be back at 6 a.m. to get breakfast started.

"To me it's been a great experience to be able to help the community," she said.

The Red Cross has provided tremendous assistance as well. Reuniting residents with their pets and providing personal items to people without the comforts of home, including diapers, razors, soap, and toothbrushes. In the adjacent classroom 20 cats were once housed, but on this evening just two remain. Lucky and Baby will be reunited with their owners soon, but will spend at least one more night in their large cages with blankets and food to make them as comfortable as possible in their unfamiliar surroundings.

In total more than 100 pets were rescued from the building. A mix that was mostly cats, but also included dogs, turtles, rats, birds and a snake. A few cats still remain inside the building despite rescue attempts by firefighters.

The rescue attempts will continue, as will the assistance offered by city staff and relief organizations as long as it is needed.