Review of NWT’s 2021 flood season finds gaps in emergency response

More than two and a half years after several Northwest Territories communities were affected by historic flooding, the territorial government has released its review of the emergency response.

On Monday, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs published a report on the 2021 flood season, called an after-action review. It highlighted several gaps in how the territory and communities prepared for and responded to the emergency.

The report found 16 areas for improvement including challenges with managing staff capacity, the delay of critical supplies to some communities, a need for more staff training, and a lack of adequate planning for evacuees with mental health and addiction needs. In several instances, the report noted issues with communication and contrasts between how members of the public and governments viewed the response.

For example, while the majority of residents surveyed indicated public communication needed improvement, governments said they shared information effectively. The report said some evacuees assumed they would be placed in a hotel rather than an evacuation centre and there was a lack of awareness about disaster assistance and recovery activities.

“There were marked differences in what was thought to be shared with the public by the GNWT versus the actual level of awareness of essential information that the public indicated that they received,” the report states.

“Information is the most valuable commodity during emergencies or disasters. It is what authorities and the public need to make decisions and is an essential aspect in an organization’s ability to gain (or lose) visibility and credibility. Above all, it is necessary for rapid and effective assistance to those affected by a disaster.”

The report noted flooding occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, which strained resources. Yellowknife was experiencing an outbreak at the same time that people were being evacuated from other communities.

The report issued 22 recommendations for territorial, regional and community emergency management organizations to improve emergency preparedness and response. Those recommendations include updating evacuation and hosting plans to support evacuees with mental health and addiction issues, developing standardized guidelines for evacuation centres, creating plans and protocols for managing donations, and improving how information is shared.

The report did find three areas where the emergency response went well. That included knowledge of the procurement process at the regional and territorial levels, traditional knowledge keepers gathering information on river behavior for decision-making, and host communities working to accommodate evacuees.

“The lessons learned through the process of an after-action review are more important than ever,” community affairs minister Vince McKay was quoted as saying in a news release.

“It is a crucial step in keeping residents safe but also in helping residents prepare for potential future emergencies.”

McKay said findings from the report will be applied to the upcoming flood season.

The department said publication of the report, which was completed by a consultant under contract with the NWT government, was delayed by “numerous emergency events requiring extensive response coordination and associated recovery activities.”

Floods caused more than $40M in damages

Hay River, Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope, Aklavik and Fort Resolution were all impacted by flooding in the spring of 2021. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes.

The report said floods damaged approximately 100 homes, 30 small businesses and other infrastructure, in total causing more than $40 million in estimated damages. It said recovery was ongoing as of May 2023.

Some residents and MLAs had criticized the NWT government’s initial response to the emergency. In particular, they highlighted issues with the territory’s disaster assistance policy, which was later revamped during the 2022 flood season.

Paulie Chinna, then the community affairs minister, said in May 2021 that the territory did not initially intervene as communities said they did not need support. After travelling to Fort Simpson, however, she said she found areas where the local emergency response was lacking.

“I should have gone in a lot earlier [but communities] didn’t want the minister to come in at that time,” she said.

In June 2021, the territorial government hired two officials to help flooded communities navigate disaster relief.

The federal government announced in September 2023, that it was releasing $15 million in disaster assistance funding to help the territorial government with recovery costs related to flooding in 2021 and 2022. It said that was in addition to nearly $51 million it had issued earlier in the year to address those costs.

The territorial government said in November 2022 that the response to flooding in Hay River and Kátł’odeeche First Nation that spring, including recovery and mitigation, was expected to cost $174 million.

The territory has also launched an after-action review into the 2022 flood season.