Fort Simpson (May 02/03) - There's no way to predict if flooding will occur during breakup but the Fort Simpson Flood committee has prepared for just that possibility.

The Village of Fort Simpson has paid to have information flyers placed in every post office box in Fort Simpson.

If the water rises to 12.5 metres, an alert will be issued. At 14 metres, the schools and the day care will be closed. At 14.6 metres a warning siren will be sounded and residents are asked to take their pets to the village compound. The siren will sound again and residents will be evacuated to the airport if the water reaches 15.2 metres.

Updates will be available on local television and radio.

Peter Shaw, chair of the Fort Simpson Flood committee, said "all the ducks seem to be in line" for relocating everyone to the airport, should such an extreme precaution be necessary. "We would have contingency plans (at the airport) for water and tents," he said.

The last evacuation of Fort Simpson occurred in 1963. There was another close call in 1989. Nobody knows what to expect in the coming days.

"We don't even try to guess ... usually it's not until the ice is actually (breaking) here or past here that the water will back up." Shaw said.

"If you have a sink with a tap dripping, eventually it's going to flow over the top. It's blocked."