Help Restart After Significant Loss from Jasper Wildfire

Hi, my name is Monika and I'm graciously asking for donations to help rebuild my life after losing virtually all of my belongings from the July 2024 wildfire in Jasper National Park.

The wildfire in Jasper sparked the evening of July 22nd while I was at work. Upon being informed of the need to evacuate, I immediately headed home to my apartment to gather what I could before leaving town. In these frantic 15 minutes in my apartment, I was able to grab my passport, my laptop, some of my valuable outdoor gear, and important documents. I left everything else behind; all my clothing, shoes, cosmetics, outwear, electronics, cameras, jewelry, skis, and the list goes on. A total of about 90% of what I own.

Two days later, on the evening of July 24th, the wildfire reached town. Within a few hours, it consumed 30% of Jasper's infrastructure. On July 25th, I was informed that despite all neighbouring buildings being destroyed, my apartment building was miraculously still standing. Significant damage was sustained on the south side of the building in effort to save it once it caught fire, but only 3 of 12 units had visible damage, and my unit was intact. I sobbed tears of joy and felt a sense of protection amid the chaos. However, I was careful of a premature celebration as I feared the potential of smoke or water damage to my contents.

Three weeks after town re-opened, and our building was still not accessible. Further into August, we were given hope that we could access the building by the end of the month to retrieve our belongings. The end of August came and went, and we were still awaiting news of when we could return. We had no idea of the condition of our belongings and we stood in complete limbo of uncertainty of what to do. Do I start to replace my belongings, or continue to wait it out?

On September 6, the kicker came when we received a letter from our property manager informing us of the high potential that all contents within the building were contaminated by asbestos. We quickly learned all soft goods were not salvageable due to contamination. Further, we learned the sheer expense of what it costs to retrieve and clean asbestos hard-good contaminated items. Along with other tenants in the building, I was uninsured and the $25,000 expense to retrieve these hard good items was simply not feasible. I explored all avenues of how to retrieve my belongings, however given the steep cost, the process of cleaning, and the inherent risks of continuing to use belongings with potential asbestos contamination, I had no choice but to surrender my belongings to this building and start fresh, as the majority of the other tenants had chose to do so as well.

As I mentioned, all of my belongings were uninsured. I estimate to have a total loss valued at approximately $20,000. Fast forward 61 days from the day the wildfire ran over Jasper and here I stand on September 24th, in a new city, with a new home and a new job with only what I evacuated with and what I've been donated along the way. I had to move away from Jasper due to this housing situation and being laid off from my jobs because of wildfire damage. Now, I've secured a contract as temporary long term high school teacher and I'm working hard to start to replace the things I need. However, I need to ask for help. I fear I can't do this alone and I am graciously accepting donations from anyone who is willing to help me rebuild my life. Your donations will enable me to purchase clothes, bedding, shoes, jackets and everything else I have lost.

Thank you for reading my story and please know that I am deeply grateful for every single donation and positive thought sent my way. This has been one of the most difficult experiences in my life as I not only grieve the loss of what I owned but also the loss Jasper has sustained as a community. I have been leaning heavily on my loved ones for support and I'm so thankful for all who have reached out to show they care.

Much love,

Moni