Norman Wells mayor says he wants N.W.T. government to step in to support evacuees

The mayor of Norman Wells is asking for help from the Northwest Territories government to manage the more than 200 people who are sheltering in his community from Fort Good Hope as a wildfire continues to burn nearby. 

Frank Pope said Tuesday although lots of people have stepped up, the community can't keep meeting the needs of evacuees by themselves. 

"We need help. As of today, I'm hoping we can back off as a town with all our staff doing all the work, our own people doing all the volunteering, and let the GNWT take over," he said. 

Pope said as an example, his wife has been cooking for the last four days, depleting the family's supply of wild game to make meals for evacuees.

"We've emptied my son's, my daughter's and my own deep freezer of wild game," he said. 

School staff at Mackenzie Mountain School have been cooking for evacuees while also working, along with other volunteers both from Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope. 

Volunteers serve three meals a day for evacuees at the school, most of which is cooked at home and brought over in foil containers and boxes. 

"Very few of them asked for any supplies. They just did it with what they had in their homes," Pope said. 

In a statement to CBC News, Jennifer Young, information officer for the N.W.T. territorial emergency management organization said the department of Municipal and Community Affairs is aware of the need for more staff and is following up with the emergency response committee in Norman Wells. 

"For the moment, efforts are focused on being able to provide support from GNWT staff already in the region, as opposed to sending more staff to the community from elsewhere given the limited accommodation capacities which are being prioritized for evacuees," Young wrote. 

'It's been a terrific effort'

Pope said although it was a challenge finding a place for everyone to stay, a lot of people are staying with friends and family.  

"It's been a terrific effort. I'm really proud of our staff," he said. 

With no barge to the community this year because of low water levels, Pope said there is some concern about supplies, but things are stable enough for now. 

"I'm talking to the storekeepers and they said they're OK — not good, but OK."

He said Buffalo Airways has been flying in every night for the last week dropping off supplies.

There's no word yet on when evacuees will be able to return home, as the fire continues to threaten Fort Good Hope's doorstep. 

That means Norman Wells could be supporting evacuees for the foreseeable future.

"I don't know how we're going to handle that," Pope said. 

"We've opened the door, we've made everybody comfortable, now let [the government] take the job on of looking after everybody and keeping them comfortable."

Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely said he's also asking MACA for help, but overall the government has been stepping in to offer support. 

"Everybody is doing an extremely good job," McNeely said. "We can always use more people.

"We are putting the message out there that, yes, we need help. Some people have regular jobs in the community, so they volunteered during the weekend ... [and now] they're going back to their regular jobs, so we have to recognize that they need a break, everybody needs a break."