I live in Edmonton, which is the closest big city to Fort McMurray, about a 5 hour drive south. While it's true that the devastation has been extensive and that this is the most expensive disaster in Alberta's history, the extent as we know it so far is that approximately 15-20% of the city has been destroyed. Most of the news articles I've read have left that fact out and have tried to allude that the entire city has been destroyed, which is far from true. The majority of residents have a home to return to and the city will recover.