NAN Press Release

NAN Calls for Financial Support for Families of Evacuated First Nations as They Return Home

8/3/2011

Thunder Bay, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy says immediate financial support is required for those NAN First Nations returning home following their evacuation due to forest fires burning across Northwestern Ontario. The call for support comes after a Sandy Lake First Nation family, who was forced to evacuate, returned home this past weekend to find their house completely destroyed by fire.

“Immediate financial support is required from both the provincial and federal governments to replace the loss by the family in Sandy Lake First Nation. It was challenging enough for that family, along with others, to evacuate their home communities, leaving their personal belongings behind for safety. Now, that family is coming home to nothing and the community does not have the resources to replace what they have lost,” said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy.

While thousands of evacuees are returning to their communities this week, many who experienced power outages have been forced to restock their food supply from their freezers and refrigerators. Beardy says there must be support to restore and restock traditional and non-traditional foods. Fish and wild game which are a staple part of the diet of the communities, may now be displaced or have perished in the traditional trapping, hunting and fishing grounds.

In addition, forest fires typically cause drastic changes to water quality, wild life habitats and can contribute to toxic conditions in the air and water. This will lead to serious reductions in fish populations, and will add further complications to the already deficient drinking water systems in the North.

Beardy is calling on both the Province of Ontario and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to assist the communities in returning to their homes safely and with stocked food and personal supplies. “This was not a choice. The families did not choose to leave their homes. It was something they needed to do to ensure their safety and well-being. The Governments of both Canada and Ontario must have a short-term plan in place to assist these families who have suffered a loss in food supplies and a long-term plan in place to determine how best to address the aftermath.”

More than 4,000 NAN residents were forced to evacuate their communities due to recent forest fires in Northwestern Ontario and over 600,000 hectares of land has been affected. Many residents are still waiting to return home.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities in James Bay Treaty No. 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty No. 5 – an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario.

For more information please contact Amy Harris, Director of Communications – Nishnawbe Aski Nation (807) 625-4906 or (807) 252-2806 mobile or by email aharris@nan.on.ca

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Health Canada provides list of online resources and information for First Nation evacutees returning to their communities

in PREPARING YOUR FAMILY FOR AN EMERGENCY

The Governments’ Roles

All levels of government in Canada are involved in preparing for and responding to emergencies or disasters. Municipal governments respond to local emergencies; provincial and territorial governments respond to emergencies within their borders, but may request federal government assistance, if required.

At the federal level, where assistance is requested – or should the emergency involve more than one province or territory – the Government of Canada will mobilize its resources. For most emergencies, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) will coordinate the federal response.

PSEPC also works with the provinces, territories and other partners on public awareness campaigns about safety, such as Canada’s annual Emergency Preparedness Week.

In the event of an emergency that poses a risk to public health, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada also play key roles in protecting the health and safety of Canadians.

Need More Info?

Contact:

Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness Canada (PSEPC)
340 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8

or visit the PSEPC Web site at http://www.psepc.gc.ca/index-en.asp

To learn more about emergency preparedness, visit the Emergency Preparedness Week Web site at: www.epweek.ca. You can download self-help publications, such as Your emergency preparedness guide. There are also links to resources on planning for specific risks, such as earthquakes, storms and power outages. You can also order these publications by calling 1-800- O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) TTY: 1-800-926-9105, from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

To find out about risks specific to your region, visit the following Web sites:

Canadian Disaster Database at: http://www.psepc.gc.ca/res/em/cdd/index-en.asp

Natural Hazards of Canada at: http://www.psepc.gc.ca/res/em/nh/index-en.asp

Also, see the following:

The Safe Canada Web site at: http://www.safecanada.ca/menu_e.asp

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Web site at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ep-mu/index.html

Health Canada’s Emergencies & Disasters Web site at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ed-ud/index_e.html

For additional articles on health and safety issues go to the It’s Your Health Web site at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/iyh

You can also call toll free at 1-866-225-0709 or TTY at 1-800-267-1245

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From POWER OUTAGE: What to do?

Most power outages will be over almost as soon as they begin, but some can last much longer — up to days or even weeks. Power outages are often caused by freezing rain, sleet storms and/or high winds which damage power lines and equipment. Cold snaps or heat waves can also overload the electric power system.

During a power outage, you may be left without heating/air conditioning, lighting, hot water, or even running water. If you only have a cordless phone, you will also be left without phone service. If you do not have a battery-powered or crank radio, you may have no way of monitoring news broadcasts. In other words, you could be facing major challenges. Everyone has a responsibility to protect their homes and their families.

You can greatly lessen the impact of a power outage by taking the time to prepare in advance. This involves three basic steps:

1. Find out what to do before, during, and after a power outage.
2. Make a family emergency plan, so that everyone knows what to do, and where to go in case of an emergency.
3. Get an emergency kit, so that you and your family can be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours during a power outage.

Planning for a power outage will also help prepare you for other types of emergencies. After reading this guide, keep it in a handy spot, such as in your emergency kit.  ...

in Ontario: Emergency Management Ontario

Telephone: (416) 314-3723
Toll-free 24-Hour line: 1-877-314-3723

www.ontario.ca/emo

www.GetPrepared.ca

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From tbnewswatch.com

Requesting support

By Jeff Labine - Aug 3, 2011

A First Nation family home found burnt to the ground has sparked the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief to call on the provincial and federal governments to provide financial help for all evacuees.

A Sandy Lake First Nation family returned home last Sunday to find their home had burned to the ground. The family of four was evacuated because of forest fires last month. They returned to find that their home, and all of their possessions stored inside that couldn’t be taken because of the evacuation, had been destroyed.

But the home will not be replaced because of an already high demand for housing in the area.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy said the provincial and the federal governments should provide financial assistance for the evacuees who come home to nothing.

“I’m asking for help from whomever so we can assist this family and provide a home for them,” Beardy said in a phone interview with tbnewswatch.com Wednesday.

“The family that came home have absolutely nothing. If they can get some kind of support then at least they can have something. Even if a home was renovated for them, they wouldn’t be in a position to have any furnishings or whatever they might need for the home. They have absolutely nothing and there’s nowhere to turn to. “

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada covered most of the emergency costs during the evacuation, but Beardy said they should go one-step farther and assist evacuees coming home.

While helping that family is a priority, Beardy said there are bigger issues that the entire community is facing.

Area forest fires have consumed more than 600,000 hectares of land. Much of the area was traditional hunting grounds. Beardy said the fires have affected the habitat of the animals they depend on for their livelihood.

“The governments of Canada and Ontario must have a short-term plan in place to assist these families who have suffered a loss in food supplies and a long-term plan to place to determine how best to address the aftermath,” he said.

Beardy added that he was impressed how the province handled the crisis and how much everyone contributed.