Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Since flood waters hit the Northwest Territories communities of Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River, 10 reports of fuel spills have been reported on the territory's spill database, some on residential properties. It's left people wondering what that means for wildlife in the area and whether homes are actually safe to return to. Beth Hudson, a Fort Simpson resident, told CBC last week that there isn't clear information about environmental impact.
Water levels in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., dropped to 9.25 metres Sunday morning, and Mayor Sean Whelly said residents are heading back to their properties for the first time since an evacuation order was issued last weekend. More than 700 people were displaced and evacuated to higher ground or neighbouring communities as water levels grew to new extremes in the community, which rests at the intersection of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers. At one point, the water had swelled as high as 16 metres. "We're just telling people, go on down, it's time to check on your property and please let us know what damage has occurred," said Whelly.
An estimated 700 people have been displaced from their homes in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., the mayor said Monday morning, after the community of about 1,200 was flooded during seasonal ice breakup over the weekend. "There's basically people all over the place," Mayor Sean Whelly told CBC Radio's The Trailbreaker. "They're down the highway, some of them with motorhomes, camps — setting up a bush camp, and things like that." He said other residents have gone to stay with relatives or friends.
The sirens sounded for a second time in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., just before 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, signalling that water levels along the Mackenzie River had reached 15 metres. That triggered a final evacuation order for people who live on the island, which is home to about sixty per cent of Simpson's 1,200 residents. Emergency operation support staff will now go door to door to help anyone needing transportation to the recreation centre, where people are asked to register before moving on.
