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The chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation says hundreds of homes have been “severely compromised” in the aftermath of a days-long power outage that damaged a water treatment plant and plumbing systems, and about 4,000 people have been evacuated from the northern Manitoba First Nation.
Residents in Pimicikamak, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, started reporting burst pipes, leaks and sewer backups after power restoration began on Thursday. All power was back on as of Friday afternoon, Manitoba Hydro said.
The power to the First Nation, which has an on-reserve population of around 7,000, went out last Sunday night after a power line that crosses the Nelson River snapped, and pipes froze in the extreme cold, as temperatures dropped well below the –20 C mark.
About 200 homes have been damaged by leaking pipes, Chief David Monias said during a news conference on Saturday. Those homes are no longer safe to live in, he said.
Monias said more homes may have been damaged as pipes quickly thawed, but the First Nation needs additional help to inspect dwellings and community infrastructure for cracks and leaks.
“Just because you don’t see a visible leak doesn’t mean that there’s no damage. There could be cracks in there that are waiting to burst the pipes.”
Repairs will likely cost at least $44 million, Monias said, and he is currently working on a recovery plan for the community.
On Friday, he put out a call for help from licensed plumbers across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. He previously requested help from the Canadian Armed Forces as well.
“We need engineers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters — we don’t have enough in the community,” he said.
Pimicikamak band Coun. Shirley Robinson said the outage has caused “tremendous damage to our Nation.”
A water treatment plant on the north side of the community has seen major leaks, and help is needed to fix the aging infrastructure, she said.
“Our water treatment plant is ready to collapse.”
Some residents are being evacuated to protect their health and safety, said Robinson. At least 140 people were expected to be evacuated on Saturday.
Monias said about 4,000 people have already been evacuated from the First Nation.
Jack Ross and his family were among the first to be evacuated to Winnipeg. He said his mother, who has asthma, was struggling to breathe after her inhaler froze due to the extreme cold during the power outage.
It was “very frosty” inside the multi-generational home, he said.
“The babies were crying on and off because they were cold.”
Ross said he’s worried his family will have to stay in a hotel for a long time due to ongoing plumbing issues.
“Being away from home is frustrating,” he said.
MaryJane Scott, who arrived in Winnipeg on Thursday morning before the power came back on in Pimicikamak, said she thinks evacuees could be stuck in the city for a while.
“I’m worried about going back because of the pipes,” she said. “It’s going to take time to fix the pipes.”
