Emergency alerts remain: Floodwater on northern Alberta Métis settlement receding
The chief administrative officer of a Métis settlement in northwestern Alberta says its members are feeling scared as floodwater that was up to the knees a few days ago recedes, exposing the damage left behind.
"Some of these homes don't have running water right now," said Justin Gaudet of the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement, where about 800 people live.
"The members are very tired, very stressed, very anxious," he said Wednesday. "They're asking for answers but we're not sure ourselves if we're going to have the capacity to continue to do the things we're doing."
Gaudet said a local emergency alert was issued Sunday after rain and snowmelt raised water levels on six nearby rivers to heights that elders in the community last saw more than 50 years ago.
The alert is to automatically expire after seven days. He said they will reassess the situation and decide on Sunday if it needs to stay in effect.
Gaudet said the water level is significantly lower, but excessive moisture combined with contaminated water has a high potential to cause mould and unlivable conditions in the settlement that stretches over 174,000 hectares.
Some bridges are also damaged.
"A lot of our homes in the hamlet area sit on wood foundations and are nearly 40 to 50 years old," he said. "Without the bridges, people can't leave their homes."
Gaudet said homes on the west side of the settlement, near Highway 35, remain at the highest risk because floodwater is taking longer to drain from the area. The settlement said it's looking for the provincial and federal government's help in assessing and repairing the damage.
He added the flood has been very traumatizing because it reminds community members of a fire that burned down half the settlement and forced evacuations in 2019.
The Dene Tha’ First Nation at Chateh, about 845 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, and the Little Red River Cree have also been under local emergency alerts due to flooding since the weekend.
Stephen Lacroix, managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said water on Chateh and Little Red has not receded because of snowmelt.
About 1,100 people have been affected and some 676 evacuees from Chateh have been registered in hotels in the nearby town of High Level, he said.
Flood protection barriers called Tiger Dams are being set up around houses and the Beaver First Nation is providing additional aid, said Scott Johnston, a spokesman for Alberta Municipal Affairs.
"Alberta’s government has people on the ground to help impacted Albertans with relocations, with access to medical and social services, with road repairs and with overall coordination of the emergency response," Johnston said.
Evacuation orders also remain in place for some communities north of the border in the Northwest Territories along the Hay River due to rising water levels, a statement from the territory said Tuesday.
The mayor of High Level said Tuesday some evacuees living in the town's arena and hotels are running out of food.
"It's a huge influx of people for our small community," said Crystal McAteer.
Over the years, the town has housed hundreds of evacuees who have fled fires and floods. She said for the last three years the town has been lobbying the provincial government to fund a community centre that is designed to transition into an evacuation facility.
"This has been going on since 2003 and it's just getting worse. This just intensifies why we need it."
Gaudet said he and others continue to check on members of the settlement to ensure safety and to keep a close eye on water levels.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.