Shortly before the City of Yellowknife released an overview of its updated evacuation framework, Premier Caroline Cochrane attended a press conference to address some key questions regarding the role the Territorial Government may play in an evacuation scenario.
“The GNWT works very closely with municipalities; however, municipalities are responsible for evacuation plans within their own communities,” Premier Cochrane tells MyTrueNorthNow.
“As soon as they (a municipality) calls an evacuation we are right beside them, with an Emergency Management Operation (EMO) that we work almost daily in a situation like BehchokÇ«Ì€ to make sure that services are coordinated,” she adds.
The City of Yellowknife has remained prepared for any scenario regarding emergencies, and says if an evacuation was required for all or a portion of the city, coordination with the GNWT has laid out the necessary steps for a strategic evacuation.
“In the event that an evacuation was required for all or a portion of Yellowknife, the City would work with the GNWT to follow our Evacuation Framework, which lays out the steps for strategic evacuations,” the City says.
According to the City, Yellowknife’s Emergency Operations Centre has been meeting daily to assess any risks, and remain prepared to develop a fast and strategic response that would protect any at-risk areas of the municipality.
