Some Fort McPherson, N.W.T., residents to be evacuated, says chief

Elders, infants and people who are sick are being evacuated out of Fort McPherson, N.W.T., as early as Thursdaymorning, even though flooding in the community has started to drop, according to the community's chief.

"They won't be back until the state of emergency is lifted," saidTetlit Gwich'in First Nation Chief Elizabeth Wright.

The hamlet of about 700 people on the banks of the Peel River declared a state of emergency on Tuesday evening, after water flooded cabins at a popular fishing site south of the communityand threatened its fresh water supply.

Most of the community about 120 kilometressouth of Inuvik is built on top of a hill, with the exception of some houses in the low-lying north end. Photos show that water has reached homes in the north area, and has also cut off the community's access to fresh water and its airport.

"I think the remaining population will stay in Fort McPherson. We're just concerned about the lack of water we may encounter and that's why we're transporting the elders, the sick and the infants over to Inuvik," said Wright.

A helicopter has been "busy all day," she said patrolling along the river,picking up harvesters out on the land and returning them to Fort McPherson. Wright said the helicopter is using the ball diamond as a landing pad, and asked people to stay away from it for safety reasons.

According to a water monitoring bulletin from the N.W.T. government, a 25-kilometre ice jam on the Peel River spanned up and downstream of Fort McPherson. Further downstream, the territory said there was 10 kilometres worth of solid ice.

The territory said as of 12:30 p.m. the ice jam started to move, and as of 3:30 p.m. was still moving.

Water levels around Fort McPherson will depend on howice clears along the Peel River, the bulletin said. It also warned people inAklavikto prepare for high water if a strong ice jam forms at the mouth of the Peel River.

In a liveinterview with Meghan Roberts, the host of CBC's Northbeaton Wednesday evening,Wright saidwater started receding early in the afternoon, and had dropped about 15 centimetres.

"I could say people are excited because the water is receding," she said.

But, she noted, the community hasn't let down its guard.

Fort McPherson off the airwaves

Earlier in the day, power to a transmitter booth was cut out of concern forelectrical shocks,meaning residents won't be able to tune into CBC or the local radio station, said Wright.

Since the flooding started, people had been tuning into the local radio station for updates. The hamlet took over CBC's signal on Tuesday to better relay information.

With the loss of the community radio station, Chief Wright said people in the hamlet can still tune into CBC's TV programming, and can access radio programming if they have data on their cell phones, or call or drop in at the band office for the latest information.

• Listen to CBC Radio One online here, or download the CBC Listen app.

The phone number for the Tetlit Gwich'in band office is 867-952-2006.