Canada under siege: Wildfires force mass evacuations in Manitoba; indigenous communities at the forefront
Manitoba
, marking one of the largest displacements in the province's history.
Pimicikamak Cree Nation suffers
Among the hardest-hit are Indigenous communities like the Pimicikamak Cree Nation, where 767 people are still awaiting evacuation amid encroaching flames and heavy smoke.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Bo Derek's Probably The Most Gorgeous 68-Year-Old.
Paperela
Undo
"It's very smoky here [and] it's getting thicker, because the fire's at our doorstep," said Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation.
The community, located approximately 530 kilometers north of Winnipeg, has been grappling with deteriorating air quality and limited evacuation routes. Highway junctions leading to Norway House, the primary evacuation point, have been compromised by fire and smoke, causing significant delays.
Live Events
Also Read
:
Over 4,000 evacuated as wildfires threaten Northern Saskatchewan
Efforts are underway
Efforts to airlift residents have been hampered by adverse weather conditions, leading to unexpected flight cancellations. The Canadian Armed Forces have since arrived in Norway House with planes to facilitate the evacuation. "Please, we need your full co-operation to get on these flights when your name is called," urged Chief Monias. "These fires are unpredictable and dangerous."
Situation in Sherrindon
The situation is equally dire in Sherridon, a community of about 85 residents, now surrounded by fire. "Right now, we've had no loss [of structures], but it is surrounding us completely," said Deputy Mayor Sheryl Matheson. "I had it at the footstep of my [Kenanow] Lodge yesterday, and the
wildfire
crew was able to extinguish it."
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew declared a province-wide state of emergency on Wednesday(May 28), enabling the mobilization of additional resources and emergency measures. "This is the largest evacuation in many Manitobans' living memory," Kinew stated.
The declaration allows for coordinated efforts between federal, provincial, and local authorities to combat the fires and support affected communities.
Evacuees are being relocated to shelters in Winnipeg and other urban centers, with facilities like the Billy Mosienko Arena being repurposed to accommodate the influx. The Canadian Red Cross and other organizations are providing essential services, including food, water, and medical care.
Manitoba is battling 22 active wildfires as of May 29, with 83 out of 158 fires nationwide considered out of control. The fires have already scorched approximately 491,000 acres, and smoke is expected to drift south into the US, affecting air quality in the Midwest.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Experts warn current Char Dham road plan could trigger Himalayan disaster
Two members of a Supreme Court-appointed panel have cautioned that the ongoing Char Dham all-weather road widening project in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone , if executed as currently planned, could trigger a disaster in the fragile Himalayan terrain, reported TOI. In a letter to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday, senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani referred to their detailed survey submitted in October 2023. The report mapped unstable slopes in the upper Bhagirathi valley and proposed an alternate design to keep the road operational without compromising slope stability, as per the TOI report. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program They said the August 5 flood in Dharali unfolded almost exactly as they had warned — with a glacier-fed stream bursting through, bringing down massive debris and washing away homes. In Bhatwari, a highway stretch nearly collapsed in an area documented to be sinking 12mm to 22mm annually. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo The experts urged the ministry to adopt the alternate design in their 2023 report and fully enforce the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone notification. They also called for extending eco-sensitive protections to higher Himalayan valleys. 'The Char Dham road widening project in its current form in BESZ will spell disaster otherwise,' TOI quoted Dhyani as saying. Live Events
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Man killed in Spain wildfire as heat wave rages in Europe
Representative image Wildfires burned in parts of Europe on Tuesday as millions of people across the continent struggled to adapt to searing heat waves, with temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Spanish broadcaster RTVE reported the death of a man who had suffered severe burns on Monday evening in the Tres Cantos municipality, on the outskirts of Madrid, and died shortly afterwards in hospital. According to the broadcaster, the man was around 50 years old, and 98% of his body was covered in burns. Video footage showed firefighters battling flames in residential areas of Tres Cantos, a municipality north of the Spanish capital. Where else in Spain are there fires? Elsewhere in Spain, firefighters and nearly 1,000 soldiers were battling blazes in regions including Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia and Galicia. Thousands of people evacuated homes and hotels, including holiday-goers at beaches in the south of Spain. On Tuesday afternoon, regional authorities announced that some holidaymakers could return to their hotels. Meanwhile, in Portugal, more than 700 firefighters were working to control a fire in the municipality of Trancoso, located about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Lisbon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like NRIs Living In Germany Are Eligible For INR 2 Lakh Monthly Pension. Invest 18K/Month Get Offer Undo Smaller blazes occurred further north. Wildfire in Turkey under control Meanwhile, in northwest Turkey, firefighters had largely brought a major wildfire under control, the authorities announced, a day after the fire prompted hundreds of evacuations and led to the suspension of maritime traffic. The blaze began on agricultural land in Canakkale province. Made worse by strong winds which fanned the flames, it soon spread to a forested area, then to a residential one. It forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents — some by sea — and led to 77 hospitalizations due to smoke exposure, according to officials. Firefighters were still battling two other wildfires in the Manisa and Izmir provinces in western Turkey, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli posted on social media. France, UK on alert France's national weather authority placed most of the country's southern region on the highest heat warning, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected for the second consecutive day. Meanwhile, in the UK authorities are on red alert with temperatures expected to reach 34 Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially in the south of England, including London. Europe is getting hotter faster than any other continent, at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Last year was the hottest year on record in Europe, the EU's monitoring agency said. According to European Drought Observatory (EDO) data, 52% of Europe and the Mediterranean basin experienced drought for the fourth consecutive month in July. Drought levels in the Mediterranean basin are the highest on record for July since 2012, exceeding the average for that period by 21%.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Juneau prepare for catastrophic flood as glacier outburst surpasses all records
Officials in Alaska 's capital are urging some residents to evacuate as an annual but increasingly destructive threat looms, a massive glacial outburst from the Mendenhall Glacier that could set a new flood record. After days of warnings, the National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday(August 12) that rainwater and snowmelt from a vast ice-dammed basin had begun rushing into the Mendenhall River. The peak is expected by late Wednesday afternoon, with forecasts suggesting water levels could crest between 16.3 and 16.8 feet, higher than the devastating floods of 2023 and 2024. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program 'This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have,' said meteorologist Nicole Ferrin at a Tuesday news conference. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo City officials have advised people in the flood zone to leave as a precaution. Some are heeding the warning, while others are staying behind. Hatch, who lifted his home by about a meter after floodwaters reached his floorboards in 2023, worries that temporary flood barriers could backfire if water overtops them. 'If it gets around the barriers and flows down, we basically become a bathtub,' he said. Live Events Climate-driven threat The flooding stems from a phenomenon known as a glacial lake outburst flood. Since 2011, the retreat of a smaller glacier near Mendenhall has left behind a basin that fills each spring and summer. When the water pressure becomes too great, it bursts under or around the ice dam formed by the Mendenhall Glacier, surging into Mendenhall Lake and then the river. These events have grown more destructive in recent river crested at 15.99 feet last August, damaging nearly 300 homes. Researchers estimate a large outburst can release up to 15 billion gallons of water, enough to fill nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the river's flow rate was about half that of Niagara Falls. In anticipation of this year's flood season, local, state, federal, and tribal agencies installed a temporary levee system along 2.5 miles of riverbank. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers, giant sand-filled containers, are designed to protect more than 460 properties during a flood event of up to 18 feet. But some residents are skeptical. 'If the water exceeds predictions or seeps through, it could trap us,' Hatch said, pointing out that property damage could be worse in that scenario. Long-term solutions are still years away. The US Army Corps of Engineers is in the early stages of studying options such as permanent levees. Researchers from the University of Alaska Southeast and the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center warn that such floods could continue for another 25 to 60 years, as long as the Mendenhall Glacier remains an effective ice dam. For Juneau, with its population of about 30,000, the Mendenhall Glacier is both an iconic tourist draw and a recurring danger. Homes in the Mendenhall Valley sit just miles from the glacier and lake, many along the riverbanks now under threat. The city has endured successive years of record flooding, with damages in the tens of millions of dollars.
