Slowly rising waters are threatening Aklavik, and though they haven't reached last year's peak, the mayor of the N.W.T. hamlet is telling residents to be prepared for the possibility of flooding.
We re still on high alert says Aklavik mayor as water levels continue to waver
Amid rising water levels, Aklavik Mayor Andrew Charlie says many roads are still drivable, and spirits remain high.
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Posted: May 31, 2021 5:46 PM CT | Last Updated: June 1
Water started to cover what Allen Kogiak described as the hamlet s back road. (Submitted by Allen Kogiak)
The hamlet of Aklavik, N.W.T., is still on high alert as water levels continue to waver, says Mayor Andrew Charlie on Monday. Water levels are still kind of high, Charlie said. It s dropped for a bit and then it comes up a bit, drops again.
In a notice issued overnight, the hamlet's mayor and council said evacuations could start Sunday morning, after water crossed the road leading to the dump.
Posted: May 23, 2021 5:00 AM CT | Last Updated: May 23
Mina McLeod stands outside her old home, which was damaged by a flood in Aklavik 15 years ago. (Kate Kyle/CBC)
Memories of a flood 15 years ago are top of mind for residents in Aklavik, as they prepare for a spring breakup that has already devastated other communities in the Northwest Territories. Our whole yard was full of water, recalls Mina McLeod.
Although many people were evacuated from the hamlet during the flood of 2006, she and her husband stayed behind to look after their home and in case someone needed their help. My husband runs heavy equipment so he thought that he needed to stay home in case anything needed to be done, said McLeod. Their kids, small at the time, also stayed with them.