‘A beautiful sunny day’: The last of the ice washes up on the NWT’s Hay River | CBC News


Friday morning dawned clear and sunny across the flood-ravaged Hay River and K’atl’odeeche First Nation in the NWT, where ice from the river’s breakup still blankets banks and community roads.

The river itself had open water, with the last of the ice carried downstream.

Jane Groenewegen, who stayed in the Hay River when it flooded Wednesday night, said the breach is almost over.

“We’re at the back of the queue now… except for the sequels,” he said. “That’s going to go on for a long time.”

The two communities remain under an evacuation order, and the residents who left are still unable to return.

Ice cleans NWT’s Hay River overnight

Video footage shows ice moving down the Hay River at 10:37 p.m. Thursday and ice-free waters at the same location at 5:54 a.m. Friday, May 13.

In an update Thursday night, the city said it was still focused on emergency response and had not yet started recovery efforts.

“City infrastructure is significantly compromised, impacting safe return in some areas of the community until it is addressed,” he said.

The town said water levels hit new highs Thursday and a second surge of water in the afternoon inundated the north end of Miron Drive, downtown and Cranberry Crescent, causing property damage throughout the town.

The flooding also crippled the sewer system and cut power to the water treatment plant, meaning remaining residents are under a boil water advisory.

Giant chunks of mud-covered ice litter the road Friday morning along Riverview Drive, which skirts the east side of the Hay River. (Juanita Taylor/CBC)

Emergency workers rescued several people.

The city said there was still an ice jam Thursday night, stretching six kilometers south from where the East and West channels converge, “the last remaining ice in the system.” Video and photos taken Friday morning on the bridge show there is no ice left on the river.

At the time of that update, which was issued at 8:00 p.m., the city was still expecting more water surges to cause more flooding.

He noted that emergency workers need to figure out what hazards need to be addressed before he can allow people to return.

In Paradise Gardens, which was one of the first areas to flood between the Hay River and Enterprise, water levels have dropped.

Groenewegen said Friday morning that trees, ice and debris are piling up on the shoreline and the smell of diesel fuel from tanks that have been washed away hangs in the air in some areas where the waters have receded.

She said there is some frustration on the part of residents who have not been able to return to the community to check on their homes.

“I think it’s going to be a slow process for things to get back to what we call normal,” he said.

‘Trying to be as responsive as we can’

Shane Thompson, NWT Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), said residents will need to be patient as emergency workers focus on immediate flood response.

His department is coordinating the territorial response and helped work to set up evacuation centers. It is helping to ensure that the communities hosting the evacuees have food, medical supplies and whatever else they need.

“We’re trying to be as responsive as possible,” he said. “We have every government department working on it and we’re trying to make sure people are there.”

A pumping station on the Hay River almost completely under water. The city says the flooding severely damaged infrastructure, knocked out power to the water treatment plant and clogged sewer pipes. (Submitted by Jane Groenewegen)

The government learned from last year’s flooding in the Dehcho region that it needed to be better prepared, he added, and had started preparing well in advance for this year’s breakout, bringing in retention advisers early and having pioneers on site to help. to community members. navigate flood recovery.

Still, there was no way of knowing in advance where the floods would occur or what their extent would be.

“You have a plan, and then it turns out worse than we planned,” Thompson explained. “Is there going to be a shortage? Yes, we know.”

As officials have said from the beginning, emergency response comes first. The focus will shift to recovery efforts once it is safe to do so.

“The thing is to be patient. We are working with the people… and the federal government,” she said.

“We are working to get [residents] to their homes as soon as it is safe and possible.



Reference-www.cbc.ca

Leave a Comment