Pimicikamak Cree Nation grapples with power outage aftermath

A day after Manitoba Hydro restored power to Pimicikamak Cree Nation, the Northern Manitoba community is still recovering.

In addition to many who were evacuated during the outage, about 140-150 people were evacuated Saturday, according to Chief David Monias.

“1 O’Clock is the time when the plane lands there to bring more people out as we find out that they can’t go home,” Monias said at a press conference Saturday afternoon.

“Most of the pipes, including the water plant, are frozen, water tanks are frozen, the water pumps are frozen and there is water seeping into electrical parts,” Monias added.

Of the 1,355 houses in Cross Lake, Chief Monias said that over 200 houses were known to be damaged so far, but he added that a full assessment of damages is required. Monias said four houses were also lost to fires.

Volunteers in Winnipeg, mostly from Pimicikamak, are calling for donations to people affected by the power outage that lasted several days. The items in demand include warm clothing, hygiene products and food, according to the volunteers.

“A lot of our own people are the ones volunteering and getting stuff set up,” said Paige Paunakis, one of the volunteers.

“My father, my siblings, my grandpa are still home. My brother works with the water plant treatment,” said another volunteer Shaylee Beardy.

The chief and council are looking at repair costs and develop a recovery plan.

“Right now, the bare minimum I am looking at is about $44-45 million of repairs that are required to help us out,” Monias said.