The town of Hay River is making sure they are prepared for more flooding in the coming spring season.
Last year, Hay River was struck with severe flooding, which displaced many members of the community. Hay River residents traveled to Yellowknife to seek shelter with friends and family while their homes were dried and repaired. The town is currently accepting volunteer help, as well as encouragin everyone in the community to make sure that they are prepared for the 2023 Spring Breakup.
To help support the Breakup, the town has also updated the Hay River Emergency Plan; a large document with all sorts of disaster strategies and recovery practices.
The Hay River Plan helps set the framework for what to do in a variety of different situations, and ensures the community is prepared to deal with any of these emergencies and hazards. It also lays out ways through which resources will be mobilized in the event of an emergency, thereby restoring the community to a state of normalcy. It is designed to ensure that all agencies are fully aware of their respective roles and responsibilities during that emergency.
The Plan lists four major categories of emergencies that can pose a threat to the safety of the community;
• Natural Events – severe weather, floods, tornadoes, forest fires caused by lightning strikes, food or human health emergencies.
• Human-caused Events and Accidental Hazards – incidents and accidents that harm public safety, property and security such as civil disorder, forestfires(set by human activity) and bomb threats.
• Technological & Infrastructure Disruptions – incidents involving hazardous materials, utility and power failures, transportation accidents, aircraft crashes, water supply failure and building or structural collapse.
• Organized Searches – the process of finding lost persons – hunters, fishermen whose return is overdue – or searching for children or adults who have wandered off and are lost in the area.
Information on how to become a volunteer for Hay River can be found by clicking here.
