Nahą Dene Nation Chief Steve Vital urges residents of his community to be prepared for flooding from the flooding of the South Nahanni River.
Nahanni Butte, an isolated community of 93 people located at the junction of the Liard and South Nahanni rivers in the southwestern Northwest Territories, is on high alert for the risk of flooding from melting snow in the mountains.
One of the community leaders, Soham Srimani, was still seeing good signs of the more moderate rise of the South Nahanni River on Saturday morning. According to him, the water level rose only 5 cm to 8 cm at night, compared to the more noticeable increase in recent days.
Along with the growth of the South Nahanni River, the flow of the Liard River has continued to rise in recent days.
Earlier we were, familiar to us, said Band Councilor Jayne Konisenta. He said he had already started preparing for the flooding.
One person responsible for a fuel supply company added that he cleaned his backyard and guarded his fuel tanks.
In the event of an evacuation, it intends to allow surrounding residents to refuel before locking the valves of its tanks and interrupting distribution.
I believe we need to move to a higher place, because if it continues, it will be frustrating [se préparer pour les inondations] Every yearhe explained.
Prepare to evacuate
Although the flooding seems to be a good sign, Jonathan Konisenta, Jayne’s son, believes the water has risen far.
There is still a lot of snow in the mountains [et] rain forecasthe says.
The only two ways to access the community are by plane and Liard River Ferry. If water starts to flood the road to the ferry on the side of Nahanni Butte, it is still possible to put boats in the water, Chief Vital said. When launch becomes impossible, it’s time to evacuate, he warned.
The evacuation plan calls for the territory’s Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to arrange transportation of seniors and those without air transportation to Fort Simpson in case of need. Chief Steve Vital said this plan has already been communicated to the people.
With information from Liny Lamberink
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
