Fort Liard struggles to evacuate homes amid flood risk

Hamlet officials in Fort Liard, N.W.T., are worried about a large number of peoplethat have chosen not to evacuate their homes yet, as the spring breakup on the Liard River raises flood risks.

Approximately 100 residents inFort Liard's "uptown" section an up-river area at high risk of being flooded have been asked to leave their homes, but only a few of those people have actually heeded the hamlet's request, municipal works manager Al Harris said.

The main road leading to Fort Liard's uptown area has been flooded to a depth of about one metre, completely cutting off that neighbourhood from the rest of the community.

Harris said the residents who have not evacuated their homes are not in immediate danger water levels on the river continue to rise slowly as spring breakup continues.

However, having so many people staying in their homes could become a problem if emergency flooding develops, he added.

Difficult to evacuate

"If it comes down to an emergency quick evacuation, it's going to be very difficult to move that amount of people out very quickly. As well, it's very difficult to get word around to those people in such a way that they're going to be willing to listen and actually move," Harris told CBC News on Monday.

"As the nature of the river is, things can change very, very quickly. In the '89 flood, it was a matter of hours from when it started to come over the bank until the vast majority of the community was underwater."

Everyone who has left their homes to date have found family members to stay with, Harris said.

Harris said the river is over its banks in two areas of town. As well, he said there is a section up the Petitot River that has been jammed with ice as it tries to flow into the Liard River.

"It's flowing over into what's well known here as the ball diamond area, which is where the end of the airstrip would be," Harris said.

Along the rest of the riverbank, the water is about 30 centimetres short of spilling over, he added.

Strange breakup

"The big chunks of ice broke through the fence at the ball diamond and closed off that road at that end of town, so the water has flowed right through," resident Joanne Deneron said Monday morning.

"We've been told to leave this side of town, which is an island right now, to go onto the other side. They've taken the elders and have been asking people that are sick or elderly to move to the other side of town. But there's several people [who] don't want to leave their home."

Deneron said this year's spring river breakup has been strange, but the situation is nowhere as severe as in the 1980s, whenpeople could not leave Fort Liard by road.

The hamlet has asked residents to conserve water for the time being, since the rising waters have flooded the road to the local water plant. The advisory remains in effect until further notice.

Hay River flood risk remains

Meanwhile, in Hay River, N.W.T., the road barriers to flood-prone Vale Islandwere taken down early Monday, after it was closed off on Sunday due to river flooding. However, a local state of emergency remains in place.

Town officials say water levels have dropped by about 30 centimetres since Sunday night and the Hay River continues to flow. A small amount of flooding near Fisherman's Wharf on Vale Island has since receded.

Still, both the East Channel and West Channel, which feed into Great Slave Lake, are jammed with ice and snow. Town Coun. Kevin Wallington said residents should still be on standby in case the situation worsens.

"The water and the ice are still high, they're still compact, so have your bags packed and ready to go if the fire department does come and ask you to vacate your property," Wallington said Monday.

"We've seen how quickly the water can move so we definitely want people to be aware."

Most of the river breakup tends to happen in the evenings and early mornings, he added.

Emergency officials there have not called for an evacuation, but they continue to watch the river closely.

Coast guard ship rescued

Ice on the Hay River even caused the Coast Guard Ship Eckaloo to drift away on Sunday, prompting fisheries officials to get in a small boat and rescue it.

Coast guard supervisor Melvin Dohey, who suited up in a survival jacket and navigated the icy river in an aluminum boat to retrieve the wayward vessel, said the ship travelled only about 40 metres.

"If there had a been more water coming, it would have been more concern," Dohey said.

"There would have been a bigger panic to get out and get lines on it to secure it. But at that stage, everything worked in our favour."

Pressure from the ice had snapped the rope that tiedthe shipto shore.

Dohey said the spring breakup on the Hay River has been tame so far, as there has been less ice and precipitation than in previous year.