And the people living in Nahanni Butte, NWT have taken this message to heart. The 93-person community, located near the point where the South Nahanni River joins the Liard River, was put on alert by flooding this week. The NWT government also warned of the same in Fort Liard, citing snowmelt from the mountains in BC, the Yukon and the NWT. The South Nahanni River rose by two to three inches overnight, and on Saturday morning Soham Srimani, the community group’s director, said that was a good sign – compared to bigger increases in recent nights. A water monitoring bulletin released Friday night said the flow in the Liard River had risen steadily over the past two days. “We’ve been through this before, so it’s quite familiar,” said Jayne Konisenta, a band consultant, fuel services contractor and resident Nahanni Butte for a lifetime. He began preparing for a possible flood when he returned to the community from a trip to Yellowknife on Wednesday. There is a bet in the middle of a low point in Nahanni Butte, opposite the teacher’s cabin, which is closely monitored to monitor the water level in the South Nahanni River. From left to right there are snapshots of what it looked like, taken on Thursday at 9pm, on Friday at 9am. and on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. (Liny Lamberink / CBC) “I’m lucky to live in a two-story house, so I moved everything upstairs.” Konisenta also cleaned up its yard and said it was closely monitoring the fuel tank farm it manages. If the community is instructed to evacuate, he said it would give people a chance to refuel with gas and gas before locking the valves and shutting down the service. “I think we need to relocate to higher ground. Because if it continues, it will be frustrating for the community to do that every year,” he said, noting that residents are preparing for floods last year as well. Jayne Konisenta stands in front of the fuel tank farm she manages. She said she was ready for floods by arranging her property and moving things to the second floor of her house in Nahanni Butte. If there is an evacuation order, it will also give people the opportunity to refuel before shutting down the fuel service. (Liny Lamberink / CBC)
Evacuation plans
Standing by the water at Liard River Crossing, Jonathan Konisenta, Jayne’s son, said he was confident the water would rise much higher than it already has. “There is still a lot of snow in the mountains. According to the forecast it is supposed to rain, I do not know for how many days. This will be very interesting to see,” he said. Liard River Crossing is a critical point in the community. Apart from taking a plane, the only other way out of the city is to take a 10 minute drive to the crossing and cross by boat, where another road connects to the motorway 7. The road leading to the Liard River, a 10-minute drive from Nahanni Butte, is flooded – but people can still put their boats in the water and cross to the other side of the river, which can be seen from afar. Aside from air travel, crossing the Liard River is the only other way out of the small NWT community. (Liny Lamberink / CBC) On the Nahanni Butte side of the Liard River, the driveway is flooded – but boats can still get into the water. Chief Vital said evacuation would occur if water blocked the access road between the community and the crossing, jeopardizing the possibility of leaving by boat. Vital said the NWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs will transport seniors and those without transportation across the Liard River to Fort Simpson if an evacuation is ordered. He said the complex would also help transport people across the Liard River in their vehicles if needed, and that people were well aware of the evacuation plan – unlike just over a decade ago.
“I can not predict climate change”
Nahanni Butte was ordered to evacuate due to a flood in 2012. Jane said the order was sudden and unexpected and residents were kept out of the community for about three weeks. The water destroyed the complex’s office and gym, flooded the power plant and left a layer of two-inch mud in most buildings that required extensive cleaning. Floodwaters had receded on Nahanni Butte in this archive photo since June 18, 2012. (CBC) Jonathan was among those left behind when the evacuation order was issued. “I was here for about 10 days, I watched the community for a while and I watched the dogs and other things. I just tried to watch the house mainly,” Jonathan said. Jonathan said the water in 2012 peaked about a foot off the foundations of his family home, but they lost tools, snowmobiles and a vehicle sitting in the yard. This time, he noted, he begins preparations. Halfway between Nahanni Butte and Liard River Crossing is a low point where there is a water-inflating calf. This is a place where water could cross the road, jeopardizing out-of-community boat travel and causing evacuation. (Liny Lamberink / CBC) “I was looking at the forecast, I was looking at the flood warning, so that caught my attention,” he explained. There is a low point in Nahanni Butte, opposite the teachers’ booth. A stake in the water, with orange stripes wrapped around it, shows how the water in the South Nahanni River continues to rise. The Nahɂą Dehé Dene Band watches the water closely. At a power pole opposite the power plant, similar strips of tape mark the point where the Northwest Territories Power Corporation would shut off the water – one foot below the plant floor. On the side of the road from the Nahanni Butte power plant, a measuring rod attached to a pole indicates where the Northwest Territories Power Corporation would start turning off the community power supply. (Liny Lamberink / CBC) “I tell everyone here that a flood is likely to happen, but we hope it does not,” Vital said, attributing the situation – as Jayne did – to climate change. “I can not predict climate change,” he said.
