As the City of Yellowknife prepares for a September 6th re-entry, questions surrounding what exactly residents can expect when they come back home continue to rise.
In a press conference, officials from the GNWT and the City of Yellowknife addressed what Yellowknifers can expect to return home to on Wednesday.
In terms of basic services, Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green says Stanton may take a month to re-open with full service.
“When the evacuation order ends, Stanton Territorial Hospital will be able to provide basic, life sustaining services,” Green says.
Green adds that services such as, emergency care, limited surgical capacity, and support services will be available during the first days of re-entry, alongside primary care, home care, and day sheltering services.
From the City’s perspective, limited services will be available for Yellowknifers such as food and finances; however, Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty says residents should be prepared to be “resilient” during the following 72 hours of re-entry.
“If you have a prescription, or need medicine, consider bringing enough back, if you generally pay by cash, consider bringing back some emergency cash,” Alty says.
“I recognize this isn’t financially possible for everyone, and by no means is it required, but for those who can, and who use cash frequently, you’ll be decreasing the pressure on the banks for the first few days.”
“If you’re driving, consider bringing back 72 hours worth of non-perishables, the more people who are able to do this, the less of a rush it will be at the grocery store,” the Mayor adds.
According to the GNWT, the city is still under an ‘evacuation alert’ and emergency status, and officials say 72 hours worth of supplies is considered ‘best practice’ during a return after an emergency scenario.
Mayor Alty adds that while Yellowknife will be open for re-entry, it will take some time to return to normal after the evacuation orders are lifted.
“It’s balancing the urgency to get people home with being fully staffed, so it is important that folks recognize we are having basic, basic services,” Alty tells MyTrueNorthNow.
“We can’t wait a whole month to get everything up and running and be perfect, so that’s where we’re really making sure that residents are clear that when you’re coming home, you are prepared.”
“I think it’s important that we continue with the re-entry and that folks recognize that it won’t be fully Yellowknife that we had back in June,” she adds.
The evacuation order remains for residents of the South Slave, including, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Kakisa.
