Thirteen Saskatchewan communities are still in a state of emergency because of spring flooding — including six First Nations.
Colin King is the province’s deputy commissioner of emergency management and fire safety.
King says the James Smith Cree Nation continues to receive help from neighbouring communities and agencies:
“The community there is working with the neighbouring RM to try and deal with some of the road access issues they’re having in the community there. There’s a significant amount of sandbagging efforts going on on the access road, and the Prince Albert Grand Council is providing advice and assistance on some of the infrastructure issues that are popping up in the community as a result of the local water.”
King adds that even fire crews have been called in to help with the sandbagging efforts:
“We’re looking at using some local First Nations Ministry of Environment fire crews to augment the various sandbagging efforts — some of those crews that exist in the community already to be able to supplement what other response teams we have supporting that community.”
However, King notes fire crews were needed yesterday for more conventional duties on the Cowessess First Nation to combat a wildfire:
“Cowessess First Nation had a fire yesterday that spread to be a fairly decent-sized grass fire that was actioned by nearby fire resources, and that’s contained and is now being monitored.”
Meanwhile, 25 flood evacuees from the Muscowpetung First Nation are staying in hotels in Regina and Fort Qu’Appelle.
Onion Lake, Sakimay and Poundmaker are the other reserves that have states of emergency still in effect.
Further north, the Eagle’s Lake portion of the Canoe Lake Cree Nation is re-experiencing some of the local flooding and road access issues that first appeared in late-April. King says it’s because of a new ice jam that has caused water to back up on Chitek Lake.
The Saskatchewan Water Agency says the bulk of the spring runoff is now done. There are still some localized issues, but the agency says those situations should improve a lot over the next week.