Fort McPherson, N.W.T., declares emergency as flooding threatens access to drinking water

The Hamlet of Fort McPherson, N.W.T., declared a state of emergency over flooding on Tuesday evening. 

In a post on Facebook, the hamlet said it made the decision because flooding from the Peel River had cut off access to the community's airport and because access to fresh water could be "inaccessible in the imminent future." 

Earlier in the day, the hamlet said an emergency would be declared once flooding cut off the community's access to Deep Water Lake — meaning it would no longer have access to its water or sewage services. 

Kyla Ross, who sits on council for both the Teetlit Gwich'in Band and the hamlet, told CBC News around 7:15 p.m. that flooding hadn't reached that point yet, but the emergency was declared as a precaution. Faced with what the hamlet describes as an imminent loss of fresh water access, Ross said that a water truck was delivering what could be a final water top up to homes on Tuesday night. 

The hamlet is asking people in Fort McPherson to conserve water. 

"Nobody is getting too worried and nobody is getting too crazy, but we are assessing the situation," said Ross. "I think we're a pretty understanding community, we're doing the best we can with what we have."

Photos taken by a community member on Tuesday show water encroaching on the community of about 700 people. 

Speaking with Wanda McLeod, the host of CBC's Northwind, around noon, Tetlit Gwich'in First Nation Chief Elizabeth Wright said flooding caused by an ice jam on the Peel River had blocked access to an area south of the community where people have fishing camps, and that a helicopter was headed there on Tuesday afternoon to see if anyone wanted to come back into town. 

Richard Nerysoo, a former mayor of the community and former premier of the territory, said the water was "quite strong" and had not only flooded but also moved some of the cabins at 8 Mile. 

Wright described the helicopter as a "precaution" and pointed out that people at the site, near the Peel River Crossing, had moved to higher ground and could also head south to cabins along the Dempster Highway.

At the time of the interview, Wright said flooding had also already blocked access to the community's airport.  

Wright had urged her community to conserve water in case access to water and sewage services was lost, and also encouraged her community to speak to children about staying away from the rising water. Anyone who wants to volunteer to monitor the roads and water conditions can contact the hamlet office, she said. 

Nerysoo said water levels near Fort McPherson haven't been this high "for quite a few years."

According to the last water monitoring bulletin from the territorial government on Monday evening, the river rose quickly over the weekend. A new bulletin had not yet been sent out as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, possibly due to a government-wide communications outage. 

Monday's water bulletin said the water levels would likely keep rising due to abnormally warm temperatures and snowmelt flooding into the river. 

"People worry about their family and friends on the land," said Nerysoo, urging people to check in on each other if they can. 

"It's two-way communication," he said. "It's really important this time of year."