Kawacatoose Residents Praised For Tornado Response

Kawacatoose Residents Praised For Tornado Response

Wednesday, July 07, 2010 at 15:07

 

 

Some houses are crushed as though someone had stepped on them.

 

Others have had the roof completely ripped off.

 

This is the scene on the Kawacatoose First Nation.

 

The community’s chief and council, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and First Nations and Metis Relations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff met with the press yesterday outside kookum Mariah Tobacco’s roofless home.

 

FSIN Chief Guy Lonechild expressed his thanks to Tobacco, the community and the government for their response to Friday’s tornado.

 

Lonechild noted she phoned a warning to her grandchildren, who were playing outside just before the tornado struck, and likely saved their lives.

 

Meanwhile, a Kawacatoose band councillor is proud of her community for pulling together after last week’s tornado.

 

Lillian Ewenin says despite the stress and the trauma, the people were able to organize and help out quickly.

 

Ewenin says the community’s pandemic plan — put in place to deal with an H1N1 outbreak — was the emergency model used to deal with the crisis.

 

Several government organizations, including Health Canada, will be on the ground throughout the week to assist with people’s emotional health, as well as cleanup efforts.