Little Grand Rapids residents given all clear to return home

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This article was published 21/06/2018 (2129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents of Little Grand Rapids First Nation will begin returning home Saturday after a month living in Winnipeg hotels.

Some of the 974 people forced from their northern Manitoba homes by wildfires in May will return to their community Saturday, the first of three days of flights, with the young and the sick returning last.

It will take about 80 flights to get everyone home to the fly-in community 280 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, Red Cross spokeswoman Michelle Palansky said.

However, if the weather holds out the residents could be home within two days.

Once they arrive at the Grand Rapids Airport, a community boat will ferry them home.

Only security workers and labourers have been back to the community since it was evacuated May 20. The labourers cleaned up damage in and around the community and fixed power, phone and water lines.

The Red Cross placed an order with Harris Meats & Groceries for multiple 100-pound meat packs for the residents; otherwise, the Northern Store in the community will be fully stocked with fresh food by the time the residents arrive, Palansky said.

This year, the evacuees from Little Grand Rapids stayed in hotels in Winnipeg. Just over a week ago, 350 of them were almost forced to move to Brandon after some of the hotels they were staying in said they had no more rooms available. However, the second move was avoided after Indigenous leaders contacted the Red Cross and found more space in the city.

Last year, wildfires in northern Manitoba saw about 6,000 people forced to flee from their homes in Poplar River First Nation and three communities in the Island Lake region: Wasagamack, St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill First Nations.

Evacuees stayed in both Winnipeg and Brandon: some in hotels, but others in two emergency shelters set up by the Red Cross at the WSF Soccer North complex and the RBC Convention Centre. The shelters were not without their problems, as some evacuees saw basic essentials in short supply.

Last year’s problems were due at least in part to the difficulty co-ordinating aid with provincial, federal and First Nations governments. Manitoba’s chiefs are pushing for a new oversight body to take over from the Red Cross.

Palansky said the Red Cross hasn’t had time to review this year’s wildfire response compared to last year’s, so she couldn’t comment on any planned changes for future wildfire evacuations.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera