Yukon gov't promises flood relief, but offers few details about it
Financial support is coming for Yukoners who've had property damaged by flooding this spring, the territory's premier announced Monday. But there aren't a lot of details yet about what that help is going to look like.
At a briefing on Monday, Premier Ranj Pillai said there will be "multiple funding streams available" to meet the needs of residents and business owners in Dawson City and the Klondike Valley. But he wasn't able to say how much the territory would commit.
This year's program is still under development, he said, and the territory wants to watch and see what happens over the next couple of weeks for a better sense of the full extent of the flood damage.
"For more information on this year's program, we'll be providing it in the weeks to come as the primary focus right now is dealing with the immediate situation again on the ground," he said.
Pillai did say the program would be a "revised" version of remediation and recovery programs in past years tailored to the needs of residents and business owners.
As of Monday morning, 82 people had registered with territorial emergency health and support services said John Coyne, the director of Yukon's health emergency operation centre. Fifty-four people are being put up in hotels and motels, he said, while others are staying with friends or family members.
Coyne said a group lodging facility had been set up at the Robert Service School in Dawson City on May 13 to accommodate evacuees, but was closed four days later because enough commercial rooms had been found.
A flood warning for the Klondike River remained in place as of Monday. An update from the territorial government's incident management team says water levels on the river started to drop on Sunday, but rain in the forecast could bring them up again.
All people living in the Klondike Valley are urged to be ready for water levels which, as Pillai said, could rise in a matter of moments.
An advisory about high water levels on the Yukon River around Dawson City also remained in place. The river is expected to remain high, according to the territory, but will continue on a downward trend over the coming days.
Infrastructure impacts
Flood waters have displaced people and caused significant damage to homes in the Yukon. Flooding has put a strain in infrastructure as well.
There were three washouts on the Dempster Highway last Tuesday, said Bobbie Milnes, a director with the territory's Department of Highways and Public Works, during Monday's briefing.
The damage was fixed and the road was reopened to a single lane of traffic on Thursday, he said.
Milnes said the Clear Creek Bridge on the Klondike Highway was damaged by high water the same day as the Demsper Highway washouts. The bridge is now safe to cross again, officials said, but will need a more comprehensive inspection sometime in the summer.
Why no emergency declaration?
The territorial government has triggered a state of emergency over flooding in past years.
But this year, officials said the territory had enough resources to handle the situation on its own. Officials said they've used the state of emergency in the past to compel the federal government to send help.
