Original Published 13:42 May 09, 2022

By Ollie Williams and Caitrin Pilkington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Village of Fort Simpson has issued a 48-hour flood warning to residents, saying breakup is imminent and the community “should prepare for potential flooding.”

Monday’s announcement came as the Northwest Territories village reported signs of ice movement on both the Liard and Mackenzie rivers outside the community.

The Liard ice moved at the river’s mouth on Monday morning, the village stated in an update on its website, while the Mackenzie ice is stationary again after moving some 100 metres earlier in the day.

Water levels around the community have risen more than half a metre since Saturday.

Fort Simpson spent Monday under a snowfall warning.

The community has worked to prepare thoroughly for 2022’s breakup season after devastating floods displaced hundreds of people and caused millions of dollars in damage a year earlier.

Intense rain and snow over the past weekend are complicating projections of how breakup will unfold, already a dark art dictated largely by the way in which ice jams and releases.

Elsewhere in the Dehcho, the GNWT said “water levels continue to be monitored.”

This item reprinted with permission from Cabin Radio, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories