Hay River mayor puts residents on flood-evacuation alert

The mayor of Hay River, N.W.T., is advising residents in the town's Vale Island and West Channel areas to get ready to evacuate their homes, should an ice jam at the local river let go during the annual spring breakup.

While the Hay River is currently calm, Mayor Jean-Marc Miltenberger said there will be high water levels and heavy ice coming in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Miltenberger, who toured the river by helicopter earlier Monday, said there is a large ice jam at the gorge between Alexandra Falls and Louise Falls.

The mayor said residents on Vale Island and West Channel should start arranging for alternate places to stay and packing clothes and other necessary items such as medications.

Families in the flood-risk areas were also encouraged to register at the reception centre at the Hay River Recreation Centre pool.

Hay River has about 3,650 residents.

Homes on local reserve evacuated

Some residents of the Old Village area on the nearby Hay River Reserve had to evacuate their homes over the weekend, as a precautionary measure.

The residents who left their homes are staying with family members or in two-storey homes owned by the reserve, Chief Alec Sunrise said.

Officials hope to avoid problems they encountered last year, when about 20 people had to be rescued when they were trapped on the reserve amid flooding caused by the spring breakup of the river.

Most of those who became trapped were trying to drive around wooden barricades to watch the rising river. Sunrise said the reserve has set up barricades that are harder to get past.

"The barricades we're using now is metal beams," he said. "They're pretty heavy to move, so if they want to go around it they're going to get stuck."

The barricades are also being monitored by volunteers, he added.

Also known as the Katl'odeeche First Nation, the Hay River Reserve has a population of about 300, according to the N.W.T. Bureau of Statistics.