Residents Flee Cumberland House

Residents Flee Cumberland House

Thursday, June 23, 2005 at 13:28

 

 

The rising water levels in the Cumberland House region are starting to impact local services.

 

Residents are being evacuated today before the swollen Saskatchewan River washes out the only road out of the community.

 

The river has already reached the highway in some low-lying spots.

 

Cumberland House Cree Nation chief Walter Sewap says the original plan was to evacuate the elderly, the young and the sick, but the latest update on the condition of the highway changed that.

 

The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority says homes in low-lying areas of the village and reserve will likely be flooded by the weekend.

 

Authority spokesman Doug Johnson says some homes in Cumberland House could be flooded for a couple of weeks after the river levels peak early next week.

 

Premier Lorne Calvert visited the region yesterday as part of his northern bus tour.

 

He says local officials are handling the crisis quite well.