Fires and flooding have ravaged the South Slave for two years, with evacuations and irreversible damage both years.
Evellyn Coleman is a former resident of Paradise Gardens near Hay River, who lost her house in the 2022 flooding season. As a result, Coleman was forced to make the hard decision to leave her home behind and rebuild in the neighbouring community of Enterprise, seeking refuge from potential flooding the following year.
After 13 months, Coleman finally found herself and her husband living and working in Enterprise, only to be uprooted again due to the wildfire that tore through the area in the summer of 2023.
“Having gone through it last year… really you’re almost numb to a disaster now,” Coleman tells MyTrueNorthNow. “I think I was almost emotionless, and then the guilt starts… because you have a house and your neighbours don’t,” she adds.
Coleman says she is grateful her house survived the blaze, unlike most of her community; however, she says the situation is still devastating and frustrating as a homeowner.
“Even though we have a house, we did lose our shed, and most of the trees around our house are burnt, so now it’s dealing with insurance companies.”
“It’s full of ash and smoke, we know that,” Coleman says.
According to officials, the vast majority of the hamlet was lost in the devastation, with few structures still standing despite firefighters’ best efforts and 65% of the territory evacuated with more on the way, residents of small towns and villages say they are beginning to feel the ‘lack of resources’ coming their way.
“95% of the community is gone, but I think we’re on the back burner for any help,” Coleman says.
“I think municipalities have learned to react a bit better over the past few years, because with the flood, there was no help; it was just get out as fast as you can.”
“In the fire, there was information along the way, where you could get help and where you could stop,” Coleman adds.
Coleman, like the majority of the NWT who evacuated south towards Alberta experienced similar issues finding a place to stay, as more and more residents filled up hotel rooms and accommodations.
“Evacuation centres were getting filled up as you were heading south, so the more people that were getting out, the harder it was to find a place you could stay.”
Coleman says she is grateful to her local government for booking and establishing accommodations for Enterprise residents soon after evacuation notices started to roll out for the area.
“The hamlet of Enterprise took the initiative on Sunday just after the notice went out to actually call around to places in the south to find rooms and booked a number of rooms for their residents, so there are some major differences,” Coleman says.
“I think way more information has been given out than there ever has been in the past,” she adds.
As of August 15, 2023, an estimated 500 people remained in Hay River despite evacuation orders, and around 5% of Yellowknife remains in the city. In response, Coleman shares a message, asking her fellow NWT residents to leave quickly, as situations can change quickly.
“It can be frustrating to see some people that didn’t leave because you think- well, why do I have to leave, but they can be comfortable in their own home, but after seeing what happened in Enterprise and how fast it can happen, and even with the floods how quickly things can go south, I think you’re better off not being there,”
The Hamlet of Enterprise has suffered tremendous loss due to the wildfire that tore through the area, and residents now face the same challenge Coleman is all too familiar with: re build, or relocate.
