THUNDER BAY – Evacuees from the flood-threatened Kashechewan First Nation began arriving in the city early Sunday afternoon.
The first plane of residents from the James Bay area community touched down at the Thunder Bay International Airport touched down shortly after noon, with seven other flights following later in the day.
Kashechewan declared a state of emergency last week, anticipating the potential for flooding from the Albany River.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue deputy chief David Paxton said the city is on track to receive about 300 people, who will be staying in a local hotel.
“That’s the city’s capacity at this point,” Paxton said.
“What they’re trying to do is keep as many of the community members together in each location, as opposed to spreading people out all over the province. The numbers have fluctuated throughout the time but that’s pretty much our capacity right now.”
The residents arriving are mostly stage one evacuees, who are the elderly, children and expecting mothers, with a limited number of stage two evacuees also accompanying them.
Once everybody has arrived, members of the municipal emergency control group will meet with community liaisons and other organizations to try to determine how the long the evacuees will be in Thunder Bay and how to meet their needs.
“Our jobs is to try to make it as comfortable as possible and to make it as much like home as it can for them being removed,” Paxton said.
In 2014 the city hosted nearly 600 displaced Kashechewan residents after the Albany River breached the community and damaged the nursing station. About 150 residents were evacuated to Thunder Bay in 2013.
