Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE
Elected government officials have promised more assistance for the rebuilding efforts in Nahanni Butte following a visit to the community.

Chief Clayton Konisenta, Minister Glen Abernethy, MLA Kevin Menicoche, Premier Bob McLeod and Minister David Ramsay visit the Nahanni Butte band office on Aug. 7 during a tour of structures affected by the flood in June. - photo courtesy of Kevin Menicoche

On Aug. 7, Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche, Premier Bob McLeod and ministers David Ramsay and Glen Abernethy visited Nahanni Butte as their first stop on a constituency tour of the Nahendeh.

Speaking after the visit, they agreed residents' frustration was evident.

Leaders welcomed us to Nahanni Butte and then immediately explained how no one has been taking care of them for the last two months, said Menicoche. "No one realized that."

The majority of Nahanni Butte residents were evacuated from the community on June 9 because of rising water levels that flooded most of the community. The residents returned near the end of the month and have been rebuilding since.

Menicoche and the other government officials toured the community during their visit. There is concern with housing with fall and winter approaching.

The men also visited the band office and gymnasium where the floors and approximately four feet of the walls have been removed. The band office staff are currently operating out of the Charles Yohin School, which is a problem with the school year approaching

Another major source of concern for residents is their access road, of which approximately one kilometre is still under water.

"Fortunately we were there and heard them and there was a commitment to get things going," said Menicoche.

Premier Bob McLeod said the territorial government has identified some ways to move ahead with the reconstruction. The community wants to do a lot of work on the housing themselves so we are looking into that, McLeod said.

The premier said inquiries are also being made into disaster assistance funding and how the community can work more closely with the disaster assistance committee.

"We have a much greater idea of the magnitude of the problem and the amount of work that needs to be done," he said.

David Ramsay, the minister of Transportation, said at the earliest opportunity his department will send a specialist into the community to examine the access road. Hearing about it first hand from Chief Clayton Konisenta and the band council brought home how important that road is, he said.

"It's something the department needs to address," said Ramsay.

The department has already done some preliminary work.

Options to deal with the water include building the road base higher or digging a ditch to the river to drain the water. The ditch option would be costly and come with permitting issues because the ditch would have to be approximately four metres deep and two kilometres long, said Ramsay.

Ramsay said he wasn't aware of the level of frustration.

"It's little wonder they are frustrated," he said. "The state of their community is in rough shape and they need some help."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.