Jay Paul and Lorna Rose Paul had a wedding night like few others. The two were celebrating their marriage in Canim Lake, when they were told they had to get out.
They thought that despite the smoke they had managed to pull it off as they had finished at the church and had taken pictures and were having dinner when they heard the lightning when Alana Dixon, the EOC Social Services Co-ordinator for the Canim Lake Band, asked them if they’d had their first dance yet and let them know they would end up having to shut it down.
“We did our first dance and then we went another 20 minutes and then the cops came down.”
A little while later they got evacuated, says Jay. They made sure everyone had rides and went to 100 Mile House.
While they had heard the lightning and thunder, they hadn’t expected to be evacuated, says Lorna.
“We heard during the reception the thunder and everything was blowing up and it pretty much shook the building because of the lightning and thunder.”
At the time, it was quite the shocker, says Lorna.
“I didn’t know how to react. I had never been in a situation where we had to be evacuated before.”
For both of them, however, safety was the first concern.
“We were disappointed but we wanted people to be safe,” says Jay.
“All in all, I was more worried about the people than anything else,” says Lorna.
She said they were happy everyone made it home safe.
“I’m actually feeling okay, you know. I’m happily married and it’s all good now.”
