Flooding at Neskantaga First Nation Nursing Station - (Supplied Via Matawa First Nations Management)
Neskantaga First Nation is temporarily evacuating vulnerable community members to Thunder Bay following a flood at the community nursing station.
A State of Emergency was issued on Sunday because of the flood.
Roughly 131 people and their pets are being sent to the city starting on Wednesday.
“Our vulnerable people require full and immediate access to health services that, unfortunately, is not available in Neskantaga First Nation at the moment. We are not willing to put any high-risk people in a compromising position due to the nursing station being closed,” said Chief Gary Quisses. “We acknowledge the support of Indigenous Services Canada in responding to the seriousness of this crisis, and we hope that some other logistical challenges we are experiencing with other partners, like the City of Thunder Bay, will be resolved.”
The community met with different levels of government on Tuesday and agreed on the immediate goal to look for a potential location in the community where a temporary nursing station can be established.
There are very limited location options in the community, and a temporary setup will not lead to the full resumption of programs and services.
The plan is to return vulnerable evacuees to the community after a temporary site in the community has been identified, retrofitted and supplied with medical equipment.
Work to identify the damage from the flood is underway, and will be followed by repairs.
Staff and community members will only return to the station once it has been restored, and air quality testing confirms the building will no longer pose any health risks.
