After about a week of reports in Iqaluit that the city’s water smelled of fuel, and the City of Iqaluit reassuring them it was safe to drink, further testing detected hydrocarbons and led to a two-month state of emergency. As the story developed over two months and national media outlets broadcast clips from Iqaluit, a patchwork system of supports started to materialize. The city and the Government of Nunavut flew bottled water up to the community, monopolizing a big portion of cargo space on incoming flights. Cargo employees worked overtime to offload the large shipments, while volunteers handed it out at pick-up stations and delivered it to homes.