Residents of Jean Marie River are preparing for a possible evacuation at this hour.

Water levels climbed quickly Friday evening.

SA国际影视传媒淗alf the airport is gone,SA国际影视传媒� said Chief Stanley Sanguez.

Sanguez indicated that the community is safe and waiting on word from MLA Shane Thompson on whether or not they would be transported to Yellowknife.

SA国际影视传媒淭he water rushed in so quickly,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淗opefully it will just drop.SA国际影视传媒�

Officials have warned of high water levels in recent weeks as a result of greater rain and snowmelt this past year.

Though water levels are much higher than in past years, Sanguez said the conditions were not as dire as 1963. He said the community has no memory of water levels higher than they were that year.

Evacuation orders have been issued for residents of the Vale Island area of Hay River, about 360 kilometres east of JMR.

Community membersSA国际影视传媒� posts on the indicate how quickly the Mackenzie River rose.

One resident wrote at approximately 8 p.m. that residents were packing up their stuff, and then again shortly after 10 p.m. that evacuation seemed to be imminent.

Sanguez said that members of the Dehcho community were standing on SA国际影视传媒渢he high sideSA国际影视传媒� of the river as a twin otter plane checked ice conditions overhead.

This story will be updated.