Who decides which evacuees get hotel rooms, and who should pay?

With Fort Providence evacuees now hosted in Hay River for nearly a week, some are calling for more government support to help displaced people.

Shawna McLeod, a member of the Deh Gáh Got’îê First Nation and a Fort Providence Métis, said that when a Fort Providence resident asked her for help to pay for a hotel for an evacuee, she issued a callout for support through her network and quickly got enough donations to pay for four nights’ accommodation.

The hotel stay was for a Fort Providence Elder caring for a six-month-old infant.

After that, she started receiving more and more calls for help – and two organizations stepped in to assist.

“They covered some rooms for some nights, and that really relieved pressure off of nine families,” she said.

More donations have been rolling in and with every $200 increment, she books another night’s stay.

“It’s working, but I think the process could be better if we had some support from our government,” said McLeod.

While the evacuation centre at Hay River’s arena remains open for evacuees, McLeod said she’s heard from community members that it isn’t one of the most restful places to sleep and may not be appropriate for young children.

She said on Thursday night, for example, intoxicated people who were yelling made it past security guards and woke the entire arena.

McLeod also said she heard from victims who had no choice but to try to sleep in the same room as their abusers.

Others, she said, have avoided the evacuation centre by sleeping in their cars or camping with a heater in their tent.

“I think a lot of people thought the government was going to take care of our people, and that’s not happening,” said McLeod. “Our local leadership doesn’t have the funds to cover any of the costs of the evacuation, or if they do, it won’t cover much.”

She said there should be a policy in place where young families, pregnant people, Elders and anyone who is sick shouldn’t have to stay at an evacuation centre.

“That should be a clear standard for the government,” said McLeod.

‘Jump through these hoops’

Jay Boast, an information officer for the territorial emergency management organization, said who gets a hotel room and who stays in evacuation centres partially depends on the agreement struck between the host and evacuated communities, as well as limitations like the number of hotel rooms available.

Boast said the NWT’s emergency management plan states host communities – such as Hay River – “can assist individuals at reception centres whose safety or health may be most affected by group lodging and recommend placement in available hotel accommodations.”

“When evacuees identify considerations that might make them unsuitable for staying in group lodgings,” he added, the NWT’s Department of Health and Social Services “would be called on to assist reception centre staff in determining priorities for placement.”

On Tuesday, Paschalina Nadli, who evacuated to Hay River, told Cabin Radio she wasn’t given access to a paid hotel room, despite receiving a disability pension since an accident left her with a broken back and two broken hips.

“I can’t sleep like a normal person, I have to sleep at an elevated angle in order to be comfortable,” she said, explaining that she wouldn’t be able to sleep in a cot in the evacuation centre.

She said she ultimately had to pay for her hotel out of pocket.

“The powers that be want us to jump through these hoops in order to get rooms,” she said.

On Thursday, she was told the cost of her hotel room would be reimbursed going forward, but she isn’t sure when she might see that money – or if she’ll be paid back for the previous nights she spent in the hotel.

By Friday, Nadli hadn’t yet received the funding for which she applied through the territory’s Emergency Evacuation Relief Program on Sunday of last week.

Communities are watching

Reached on Friday, Dehcho MLA Sheryl Yakeleya said evacuees with disabilities and those with young children were being provided with accommodation at hotels.

She said she had spoken with hotel owners who have been at full capacity and they’re moving in evacuees as other guests check out.

Kátł’odeeche First Nation is also hosting Elders, Yakeleya said.

She said she’s grateful to KFN and to Hay River for hosting evacuees.

“There’s people driving around giving heaters and extension cords to people, or even bringing blankets or pampers to people at different sites, or dropping off things at the arena,” said Yakeleya.

Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian said financial assistance from the Dehcho First Nations is on the way to evacuees.

“Right now, we’re putting our finance people on top of it,” said Grand Chief Norwegian. He said they would apply a formula used in previous evacuations to determine the financial assistance provided, but didn’t yet have an estimate of the dollar amount.

“It’s just a matter of putting it together and getting it down on paper and making sure that the piggy bank is there,” he said, “and once we rattle it out, then people will be getting the assistance they dearly need.”

McLeod said community members displaced in Hay River have been contacting organizations like the Red Cross and other Indigenous governments for help.

“I know there may be people from government that are working behind the scenes, but that communication on the ground isn’t clear,” said McLeod.

She said what happened during this evacuation could serve as a warning for future disasters in other parts of the territory.

“I think a lot of our communities are watching, and I hope that messaging is clear,” McLeod said. “The government may not take care of you during evacuation, so please have a plan in place to take care of your people during this very chaotic time.”