A Saskatchewan Government sample of a Band Council Resolution calling for a state of emergency. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski.
Around 100 people were set to be transported off James Smith Cree Nation to Melfort on Tuesday, as community leaders laid the groundwork to call an official state of emergency in relation to flooding risks in the area.
Chief Wally Burns said the declaration was made at 4:30 p.m., motivated mainly by deteriorating conditions on the road on the southern part of the reserve.
“This past weekend is a prime example, where an ambulance got stuck. And when the ambulance got stuck I guess they called for a tow truck, the tow truck got stuck. Then when the tow truck got stuck, the RCMP got stuck,” he said.
The issue is the spring thaw, he said. The muddy, nearly impassable roads on the reserve forced a halt on all deliveries and put access to emergency services at risk.
Burns said health staff has been going door to door to ensure everyone on their records is accounted for and aware of what is happening. Diabetic people and those with health issues are a high priority. Red Cross and Emergency Social Services were not required for this process.
The province has been consulted, and Burns said they will be on the ground in the community on Wednesday. Based on information provided by the Premier’s office, Emergency Management and Fire Services will be able to support “with pumps to move water and vehicles with water tanks to supply water to their cisterns.”
Burns said homes are also at risk, with two specific homes he knows of taking water into the basement. Another unit is constantly pumping water out of the basement.
They’ve had similar flooding issues in the past. Two years ago, the same road was flooded out, Burns said.
They had been working to build their roads higher, but crews started too late in the fall “so dealing with the factors of the material that was wet and putting it on the road, it never really did anything but made it worse this spring,” Burns said.
For now, he said they’re hoping to get the roads dried up as soon as possible to “get that back into shape.”