Skip to content

Residents who fled flooded N.W.T town can return; some services might be unavailable

Hay River is an important transportation and communications centre
29132661_web1_221016-CPW-Hay-River-Residents-can-return-flood_1
Flooding is shown in Hay River, N.W.T., on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. About 3,500 residents have been ordered to evacuate a town in the Northwest Territories as volatile water levels never before experienced in some areas cause extensive flooding and damage. People in Hay River, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake just north of the Alberta-N.W.T. boundary, were told late Wednesday to get to higher ground, travel to Yellowknife or register at the town’s community centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Caitrin Pilkington, Cabin Radio

A town in the Northwest Territories says people were being allowed to return to their homes Sunday evening, four days after about 3,500 were ordered to evacuate as flood waters rose.

A reopening plan posted by the Town of Hay River, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, warns residents that hazard assessments do not include private property.

The plan says it is important that residents understand the specific services available on their properties as they decide when it is appropriate to return.

If residents decide their home is not habitable, the plan says they can return to the host evacuation centers for short term accommodation.

Hay River is known as the “Hub of the North” because it is an important transportation and communications centre.

It is the staging point for the shipment of goods further into the territory and heart of the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery.

—The Canadian Press

RELATED: Heavy flooding forces residents of Northwest Territories town from their homes