Emergency Management Organizations Portal

Floods

In the NWT, most flooding occurs during the spring breakup period as a result of ice jams. Spring breakup along NWT river systems starts in April-May in the southern region and works its way northward, affecting waterways over the course of about 10 weeks. Later in the season, flooding can also occur in some communities as a result of mountain snowmelt/runoff, most often affecting water levels on the Liard and South Nahanni Rivers.

Flooding in the NWT is a seasonal and naturally occurring hazard that can become an emergency when communities are affected. Climate change studies point to weather pattern variations that increase the risk of NWT communities becoming affected more frequently and in different ways. There is no way of predicting flood events with absolute certainty, and since flooding is deemed an extreme hazard in the NWT when it comes to risk, it is always best to be prepared.

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Flood Planning

Community governments in at-risk communities should have a flooding hazard specific plan as part of Community Emergency Plans. To assist community governments and Local EMOs with flood planning efforts, a community flood preparedness package has been developed:

Flood preparedness checklist

By going through this checklist, community governments will be prompted to gather information and undertake preparedness activities that are designed to mitigate the negative impacts of flooding and stress of response through planning. 

Community Government Request for GNWT Emergency Management Assistance

This form is designed to help community governments articulate requests for assistance issued to the territorial government. This form is also found in Appendix M of the Community Emergency Plan template.

Evacuee registration form

This tool is designed to assist community governments to gather information that keeps track of residents during an evacuation. This tool is also designed so that community governments may pre-register residents in flood-risk areas well ahead of the high-risk period. Pre-registration is the collection of data on how many residents will be seeking assistance (and the kind of assistance needed) with evacuation and hosting. Collecting this information early will allow for more effective, accurate planning and pre-positioning of resources. This form is also found in Appendix H of the Community Emergency Plan template.

Tabletop exercise presentation

This presentation is designed to help Local EMOs work through a flooding scenario to assist with emergency plan validation prior to flood season.

Information on evacuation and hosting

This document provides an overview of evacuation and hosting guidelines in a post-Public Health Emergency environment.

Information on community requests for public alerts during emergencies

This is an information sheet on NWT Alert and how community governments can partner with the MACA to issue alerts for critical events such as evacuations.

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EMO Collaboration

Planning and readiness for flooding emergencies is within the jurisdiction of community governments. Your MACA Regional Office is your primary contact to get information about water monitoring and breakup conditions. Community governments can also stay up-to-date by being aware of GNWT Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) water monitoring programs.

While community governments are emergency planning leads for their communities, EMO staff within GNWT Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) can support Local EMOs throughout all community emergency management phases. See the Emergency Management portal page for more information.

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EMO Resources

Community Flood Preparedness Package (for community governments):

 

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