In many ways, Meghan Yelland and Michael Zeeman are experiencing new parenthood in typical ways — catching what little sleep they can in between frequent feedings and diaper changes for their 14-day-old daughter, Jade.
But as evacuees from Nova Scotia’s Long Lake wildfire, their experience is also unique.
The address for the couple’s home in West Dalhousie, N.S., was included in an evacuation order issued by the province Aug. 14.
“I never expected that we would leave, so it came as a huge shock,” Yelland said.
“I didn’t think it was real. I think I was in denial because of how much we had put into the house and … it was blue skies, there was no smoke, you couldn’t smell anything. We were told it would only be a couple of days. It was just a precaution.”
At the time, Yelland was due to give birth in about four weeks.
Before leaving, they decided to capture video of their recently renovated home, said Zeeman.
“I was packing up the car. And we were saying to each other, we should probably take a video of the house. You know, just in case,” he recalled.
The video shows the baby’s new nursery, which Yelland had just finished painting a colour called “muted jade.”
A week later, the couple, who had moved to Nova Scotia from Montreal in January, were informed their home had been destroyed.
The pair had spent more than seven months undertaking extensive renovations on the home. All that’s left is the chimney, although their small barn and their chicken coop (complete with chickens) survived. They haven’t been able to return yet, but have seen photos.
Yelland remembers being told in person by Red Cross personnel and county representatives.
“They had all these Kleenex boxes, and they started to apologize. Right then, I knew like it was gone,” she says. “And so I just completely broke down. I couldn’t even talk.”
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“We almost have to erase some of our memories, like our physical memories of the place,” adds Zeeman. “Something that we had envisioned and worked towards, it’s no longer there.”
Nova Scotia’s Long Lake fire was first reported south of West Dalhousie Road on Aug. 13. It’s now considered held at 8,468 hectares. The fire destroyed 20 homes and forced a total of 1,000 people to leave their homes.
Some of the residents have since been permitted to return. But Zeeman and Yelland’s property remains in an evacuation zone.
After bouncing around to different places, the couple moved into unlikely accommodations — a cabin on a local golf course.
They say they’re getting the first month free, then their insurance will cover rent moving forward.
They moved in with their two dogs and two cats in the last week of August and had been there for just 24 hours when baby Jade decided it was time for her arrival.
“She broke my water exactly two weeks before the due date,” laughs Yelland. “She waited until we moved in here before making her grand appearance.”
Jade was born early in the morning on Aug. 30.
“And when she came out, it was just, your world changes, you know,” says Zeeman.
“It’s a new beginning, a new routine, new everything.”
Although the couple doesn’t have immediate family in the area, community members have donated everything from clothes and diapers to a bassinet to help with their new arrival.
An online fundraising campaign has also raised more than $20,000.
“Everybody in the [Annapolis] Valley really just lifted us up from the fire and from the ashes and just took care of us in that moment,” says Zeeman.
Yelland, who survived a bladder cancer diagnosis 11 years ago, says her life experiences influence how she views what could be described as a tragedy.
“I always try to see it as your life could change in a moment. I lost two parents to cancer. I myself had cancer when I was 24. … Your health is the only thing that you can’t control. So when you’re in this situation, you just have to see it as yes, it’s heartbreaking. You’ve lost everything that you worked for … but you can do it again.”
Both she and Zeeman credit support from the community for helping them get through a difficult time.
“I just really just want to thank, you know, everybody in the Valley for their generosity, and I want to thank the bravery and the time and the exhaustion that the firefighters and everybody involved with trying to put out the fire,” says Zeeman.
“You can’t get through something like this without love and kindness,” Yelland adds.
The couple plans to stay in their temporary home over the winter and will rebuild on their property as soon as they can.
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