Mother Nature spared Thunder Bay residents her worst wrath this week.
People living in the Squaw Bay area of Fort William First Nation weren’t so lucky.
Heavy rainfalls hit the community, washing out roads.
Working with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, newly elected Chief Georjann Morriseau and Fort William First Nation council reacted swiftly and effectively on Monday, leaving nothing to chance.
Residents in the gravest danger, the elderly, the sick and the very young, were quickly assessed and evacuated to a local hotel, out of harm’s way.
Repairs to infrastructure began within hours and luckily no one was hurt.
The City of Thunder Bay also deserves a pat on its back, nearly a year after disaster struck.
Infrastructure and operations manager Darrell Matson confirmed the city had pumps and crews on standby in strategic locations around the community, a pre-emptive measure that showed a major lesson learned from the 2012 disaster.
As Mayor Keith Hobbs said, city officials learn from every experience. Last year’s rainfall was a once-in-a-century occurrence. Luckily in 2013, it was only a five- to 10-year occurrence.
Leadership in both communities shone over the long weekend.
