Yellowknife residents are crossing their fingers that tomorrow害羞草研究所檚 scheduled lifting of a general evacuation order will go ahead as planned and they害羞草研究所檒l be allowed to return home.
The lifting of the order remains contingent on fire and highway conditions, but N.W.T. wildfire information officer Mike Westwick said yesterday that no challenges are expected for Highway 1 for the next few days.
Yellowknife city manager Sheila Bassi-Kellett says workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, home-heating providers, and even some taxi drivers and daycare providers are on their way back to the city in advance of tomorrow.
Bassi-Kellett notes the city is getting ready for people clearing three weeks of food out of their refrigerators.
Residents have already been advised they should prepare to be self-reliant for 72 hours upon their return.
NWT Emergency Management Organization information officer Jay Boast says over 2,000 people have pre-registered for re-entry flights, following a call to do so Saturday so the territory would know how many flights they害羞草研究所檒l need.
害羞草研究所淎t a very, very high level 害羞草研究所� a 30,000-foot level 害羞草研究所� I害羞草研究所檇 say there害羞草研究所檚 a third of our evacuees that are returning before our overall evacuation order is lifted,害羞草研究所� Bassi-Kellett told an online news conference Monday afternoon.
Jeffrey Edison, acting assistant deputy minister with the Department of Infrastructure, said other essential workers that are coming home early include staff at the city害羞草研究所檚 airport, like baggage handlers, who will be there for flights that bring evacuees home.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not who you are, it害羞草研究所檚 basically the positions you hold,害羞草研究所� Edison told the news conference about the people who are being allowed back early.
NWT Emergency Management Organization information officer Jay Boast said over 2,000 people have pre-registered to be re-entry flights, following a call to do so Saturday so the territory would know how many flights they害羞草研究所檒l need.
Boast noted Sunday that due to the small number pre-registering in Winnipeg and Whitehorse, only one flight from each of those cities will be planned, which will take off on Thursday. If you害羞草研究所檙e there and haven害羞草研究所檛 pre-registered, he said you need to register now.
For returnees who will be driving home, Boast said the territory is preparing for the anticipated influx of traffic on Highway 1 to Yellowknife, including security points to prevent access to Enterprise, a hamlet where community officials have said 80 percent of homes and businesses were destroyed by flames.
Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 date for the lifting of Yellowknife害羞草研究所檚 general evacuation order remains contingent on fire and highway conditions, but N.W.T. wildfire information officer Mike Westwick said Monday that no challenges are expected for Highway 1 for the next few days.
He reminded people to drive home carefully.
害羞草研究所淭heir biggest hazard on their jobsite is your vehicle,害羞草研究所� he said.
The evacuation order for Yellowknife and the nearby First Nation communities of Ndilo and Dettah was issued on Aug. 16.
Anyone who is not on the list of essential workers who have been asked to return now has been warned not to try to return early, although RCMP said they haven害羞草研究所檛 had to turn anyone away and no arrests have been made under the Emergency Management Act.
Some evacuees at seven hotels in Calgary, however, are already on the move after they were informed over the weekend that their rooms would no longer be available.
Officials at Monday害羞草研究所檚 news conference said Calgary officials are working to find those evacuees other accommodations.
Residents have already been advised they should prepare to be self-reliant for 72 hours upon their return.
Bassi-Kellett noted the city is getting ready for people clearing three weeks of food out of their refrigerators.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e ready to roll on that with instructions for people on how they can bring that to the solid waste facility. We害羞草研究所檙e going to have amnesty days for domestic garbage so people can clean out and get their homes back to the state they should be,害羞草研究所� she said.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
