The ESS Reception Centre in Barriere was opened at the Ridge School on July 10 and has been open every day to July 31. Due to registration numbers slowing, the Reception Centre will now only be open on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. “During that time we dealt with over 500 evacuees, issuing referrals for food and lodging.,” says ESS supervisor Carol Patton, “We had about 24 volunteers who have worked over 900 hours.” She also commented, “These volunteers include our regular group who train for this situation, plus walk-in volunteers that were given training by our documentation supervisor, Leslie Stirling.” Patton notes the evacuees they registered at the Centre came from Little Fort, then 100 Mile area, and then Williams Lake. “Most of them have been able to go home and we are now seeing a few people from Clinton,” said Patton. Emergency Social Services (ESS) is a component of the Provincial Emergency Program of the Province of British Columbia. ESS are those services required to preserve the well-being of people affected by an emergency or disaster