Displaced residents Carole Coté and Suzanne Boulanger and dog Toby sort through donated clothing outside Polyvalente Montignac school in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec July 7, 2013.Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail
The Polyvalente Montignac will no longer serve as Lac-Mégantic's main shelter for those displaced by the disaster.
The 21 residents that were still living at the local high school will be moved to hotels and mobile homes starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday night. There are also an estimated 150 residents who have been living with relatives and friends that will eventually need accommodation. They are also free to present themselves at the shelter to be relocated.
"We're trying to find what's best for each evacuee with the obvious objective of giving them enough privacy and comfort as possibility," said spokesperson Denis Desilets. Since many of the evacuees will not be able to return home for a long time, the Red Cross will provide more long-term accommodation like apartments and houses, according to Mr. Desilets.
Although there will be no more residents living at the high school they will continue to serve three meals a day and provide all the services they have been providing over the past week.
"The Red Cross will continue to take care of all expenses," said spokesperson Geneviève Dery.
"The residents will have the option of eating at their hotel or of coming back here to eat," she said.
"We do this because we get a hundred times more than we put in," said Ms. Dery.
"Having someone pat you on the back, look you in the eye and say thank you is better than any form of payment," she said.
Approximately 75 Red Cross volunteers have been working at the Polyvalente every day and will continue to as the high school will provide all necessary services including food and psychological support.
It's one of the saddest things I've ever seen," said Ms. Dery. "But at the same time I feel reconnected with humanity because of the generosity and solidarity I've seen both from the community and from the people who've donated money and clothing."
The Quebec government will start providing $1,000 cheques on Monday morning to families evacuated after last week's disaster. Officials expect it will take three days to distribute the money. Residents who have lost their homes will have access to extra funds, with Quebec's public safety ministry pledging $20 daily per family member.
With a report from Justin Giovannetti
Les Perreaux