Northwest Territories evacuees arriving in St. Albert
Posted August 16, 2023 6:58 pm.
Evacuees escaping wildfires in the Northwest Territories driving 19 hours to here in St. Albert where evacuees are being told to go — not sure what they’ll be going home to.
“I’m due August 21 — yeah, so pretty high pressure, I had a bunch of birth plans in Hay River and now and now I’m in the middle of the city so,” said Tanisha Edison, evacuated from Hay River, N.W.T.
Giving birth in just a few days and spending nearly a day on the road, Tanisha Edison says she and her family are relieved to be safe in St. Albert. Saying they had to leave their home in minutes.
“My family, we were swimming in the water, and we could see the fire in the distance — which we thought was at Kakisa,” explained Edison.
“We were watching it, playing in the water, we didn’t think anything of it. Watching the smoke go, because we thought it was pretty far. And all of sudden we get an alert on our phone — be ready to evacuate. Then five minutes later, it’s like get the heck out of here.”
Provincial authorities have asked the city of St. Albert to help and house evacuees as cities further north fill up. St. Albert has already seen 550 people this week, heading to hotels in St. Albert and Edmonton.
Officials say St. Albert will be at capacity late Wednesday – after that, those who fled the flames up north will head south to Leduc.
RELATED:
- Yellowknife declares state of local emergency due to wildfires
- Meta blocking news in Canada could impact wildfire evacuations, other emergencies
“We have some water and juice and fruit to give them something to nourish themselves. We have hygiene supplies on-site because we don’t know because every situation is different — people have had to flee at a moment’s notice,” said Connie Smiegelski, Director of Emergency Support Services with the City of St. Albert.
The Northwest Territories is under a state of emergency as wildfires edge closer to the capital of Yellowknife. Those escaping the flames and smoke are asked to drive south as accommodations fill to capacity.
With communications down in some rural parts of the province — evacuees are helping each other staying touch with family.
“There’s some really nice people who are sharing their Starlink right now. People just passing on messages, ‘Hey have you seen this person, that person.’ There’s a Facebook page you go on and say ‘We’re safe, do you know if someone else is?'” said Dawn Fraser, resident of Ft. Smith, N.W.T.
