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THENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE
Rebuilding efforts in Nahanni Butte are progressing but Chief Clayton Konisenta said residents are worried about the timeline set for work on the community’s access road.

An aerial photo taken on June 12 shows the extent of the flooding in Nahanni Butte. It's hard to tell where the South Nahanni River ends and the community begins. Buildings in this photo include the band office, front centre, the power plant, blue building to the right, and the community's store. - NNSL file photo

The Department of Transportation plans to start fixing the road, parts of which are still underwater, in January.

"We're going to have to wait for that to freeze and it is going to become an issue," said Konisenta. "People are concerned about that because it’s going to cost us even more. If we have to get out we're going to have to fly out."

For months, the community has been cleaning up after a flood that forced the majority of residents to evacuate the area on June 9. Residents returned near the end of June.

Dan Quevillon, Department of Transportation regional superintendent, said the department is waiting until the ice is thick enough to start work on the access road. The plan is to build up the parts of the route that are in low-lying areas so that if another flood occurs the community won’t have the same problem, he said.

"In order to get the materials there we need to have a very strong road because of the weight of the vehicles required to get the materials there," he said, adding they plan to use ice making units to speed up the process.

Until then the department has no plans to drain the water from the road. Quevillon said because it is in a low-lying area they would just be pumping the water from one spot and watching it flow back in from another.

So in the meantime, the department is preparing an engineering plan and locating the necessary materials.

"We are really hoping to get in as fast as we can in order to help the community get back on its feet," Quevillon said.

Homes that were damaged during the flood have been rebuilt, according to Konisenta. However, the band office is still operating out of the Charles Yohin School until the office is renovated sometime this month.

The chief's and band manager's trailers were also lost during the flood. The accommodations are supposed to be replaced in February and until that time, Konisenta is commuting from Fort Simpson where he is staying.

"It's kind of tiring and frustrating," he said. "It would be nice to come home and just relax."

The community is also still trying to tackle one of its greatest concerns. During the flood, the grocery store was lost and the community has yet to come up with a temporary solution, forcing residents to travel elsewhere for supplies. This could be a big problem once freeze up comes, Konisenta said.

"One of the suggestions is that we use our two-bay garage … as a temporary store. That's an option we are looking it but it’s not a sure thing," he said, adding he welcomes any suggestions.

Nonetheless, despite the difficulties Nahanni Butte residents are facing they are still keeping their spirits up, Konisenta said.

"They’re understanding of the situation."

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