Kitamaat Village evacuated after 3 days without power due to near record snowfall
Residents had to cut through fallen trees with chainsaws to gain road access
B.C.’s Haisla First Nation ordered the evacuation of Kitamaat Village and its 800 residents on Saturday night, three days after the community lost power following a major snowstorm.
Many residents are staying at the Kitimat Riverlodge Leisure Centre, about 15 kilometres north in the town of Kitimat.
Others are staying with family and friends.
The small towns of Kitimat and Terrace were hit with heavy snow earlier this week — nearly two metres of snow from a Pineapple Express weather system was dumped on the region.
The record for a 24-hour snowfall, set on Feb. 5, 1961, was 112 cm. Weather officials say Kitimat came close with 109 cm of snow in a 24-hour period.
Evacuation ordered over Facebook
In a notice posted to Facebook on Saturday, Haisla First Nation chief councillor Ellis Ross warned of a short timeline for the Sunday morning evacuation — the road in and out of the village would be open for just three hours.
“If you have the means to get to town or somewhere else besides Kitamaat Village, please be gone before 8 a.m. PT. Anytime after 8 a.m., don’t even try. The crews will be working and there will be no traffic allowed,” the notice said.
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