The Hatchet Lake First Nation continues to deal with the effects of spring-flooding.
Three weeks ago water from the lake combined with the spring-thaw to make life miserable for many residents.
The pump-house flooded leaving many residents with very weak flows coming from their taps.
Some elders even resorted to getting water from the lake.
Band manager Alex Maurice says since that time the water situation has improved, but the road between the airport and the reserve is taking a beating:
“It’s coming into the reserve in two parts. We’re flooded out. Right now they’ve made a couple of bridges with thick timber and they have to be working on the culverts now but two large segments of the road washed out.”
He adds residents are no longer boiling their water.
Highway 212 on the Beardy’s Okemasis First Nation remains closed due to flooding.
Land manager Brian Seesequasis says the flow was simply too much for the culverts and some secondary roads are also underwater.
He says the water seems to be leveling off somewhat, but it’s still a messy situation:
“OK well we do have one family that is out of their home because of the flooding in their house. We sandbagged a total of five houses, one house did have flooding totally around it. A few were very close where the water did come up to the sandbags. We did lose one road that was breached because of the water coming in. The culverts couldn’t handle the flow.”
He adds one family has been forced to park a quarter-mile from their house and walk the rest of the way in.
Seesequasis says ultimately they want to move some of the houses on the reserve but lack the funds to do so.
Workers at the Red Earth First Nation and Canoe Lake Cree Nation say flood waters are no longer posing the threat they once were.
The James Smith First Nation is beginning to see better access to local roads and are working on their surfaces to dry them out.
One family remains out of their home at Poundmaker but the situation there is said to be much better.
The Water Security Agency says they are concerned about highway #2 between Prince Albert and St. Louis however.
Spokesman Patrick Boyle says the water covering the road, which is currently closed, has no way to drain itself:
“We need to move that water about two miles upstream to a local creek that runs into the major system.”
He adds to do that is a major undertaking and a consultant is examining their options.