A Windsor family is adjusting to post-fire life in Fort McMurray.
As planned, Laura Niven, her husband Bob and 11-month-old Alex returned to the Alberta town late in June, to find their home still standing.
She says it's been an emotional few weeks, still taking in the overall damage done by the May wildfire.
"How close it came to my home, how close it came to my friends' homes, how many of my friends' homes were lost, and the work that the firefighters had done." Niven explains. "I just needed to see what my city will now look like so that I can understand what everybody is going to go through [once they return]."
Luckily, she says friends of theirs came into their house to take out their fridge and air the place out before they got back.
Niven adds that the first night back in her bed was the best sleep she'd had in months, and was the first full night their baby had slept through since early May.
As residents continue to return to Fort Mac, Niven says everyone continues to share their evacuation stories.
She describes the feel in the town as "the same, but different," as residents adjust to small changes that affect their daily lives.
"A lot of people who work in the service industry might have found other jobs after the evacuation. So you'll notice a restaurant that used to be open starting at 11am or something, now only opens at 4pm because they don't have the staff," says Niven.
But with so many people in the community dedicated to seeing Fort McMurray rebuilt, the Windsor family is confident it will eventually return to what it once was.
"It's kind of like someone said, 'There's always going to be [life] before the fire and after the fire,'" says Niven. "Now is just going to be the new normal."
Listen to Reporter Mike Vlasveld's full interview with Laura Niven, below.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Laura-Niven-Full-Interview.mp3"][/audio]
