Flooded Lower Post, B.C., calls for politicians to visit

First Nation leaders in the community of Lower Post on the B.C./Yukon border want politicians to come and see firsthand the damage from the weekend's flooding.

Peter Stone, deputy chief for the Daylu Dena Council said 37 people in his community of 300 are still unable to go home.

"We're still under an emergency situation," he said. "Just a quick estimation of the damages to the homes alone is in excess of $3 million to $4 million. All the road accesses have been compromised, and there's just a secondary bush access that people have been using. It's just not safe."

The flooding is from heavy rain on top of snow melt in southeast Yukon last week. Evacuations from the community began on Sunday at 2:30 a.m. by the councils emergency management team with help from the RCMP and the Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works. Evacuees were sent to thenearby community of Watson Lake, Yukon.

The band council set up an emergency reception and provided meals at the Denetia Elementary School at Lower Post for those community members who stayed behind. As of Wednesday, 19 houses were still flooded.

"Emergency management are tired. There's fatigue," said Stone. "People in the community that [have worked] the past days are being exhausted."

Stone is calling on the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, along with the federal and provincial governments, to visit Lower Post.

He said the community needs a plan to deal with the immediate crisis as well as a long-term plan for dealing with flood recovery.