Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Fort McPherson (May 24/04) - Fort McPherson declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon as rising waters from the Peel River caused flooding in sections of the hamlet.

Ice conditions in the river were extreme for the water to rise so unexpectedly and rapidly, said Troy Jenkins, emergency measures co-ordinator and chief administrative officer for the hamlet.

"It was near the lower, or northern, part of town at the river. Water surrounded several homes and closed parts of two streets in the community," Jenkins said.

The state of emergency was lifted the next day (May 21) at 2 p.m.

Jenkins did not know the depth of the water at its highest peak.

However, no interiors of homes were reported affected, he said.

People from the homes surrounded with water had to find shelter with family members in other areas of the hamlet.

They returned by the next day.

John Snowshoe, a life-long resident of Fort McPherson, was one of the lucky ones whose home was not affected by the rising waters.

Sudden rise

He said the flood caught everyone by surprise.

"In the past, the water hasn't come up that far," he said of the sudden rise.

The water level dropped just as quickly, however, Snowshoe noted.

Acting mayor James Andre said the river was about 30ft above its winter level.

"It's still at a high level, but we're watching it," Andre said.

Near the 8-mile area, many camps suffered damage due to the flood waters, Andre said.

"We're worried about people out on the land, but we know they have boats," he added.

The sudden flood was caused by ice settling and shifting on a curve in the river, said Kevin Rowe, the emergency measures program co-ordinator with Municipal and Community Affairs.

"It backed up. We're expecting the ice will break free and hoping no damage will occur."