A community in the agricultural heartland of the NWT is facing tough choices following historic flooding.

In May, a number of areas in the South Slave were inundated during one of the worst natural disasters in living memory. Paradise Valley, a community located halfway between Enterprise and Hay River where a lot of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 produce, eggs and livestock is grown, was one of the most severely affected areas.

Now its residents are facing a long and expensive road to recovery.

After watching dramatic video of houses, greenhouses and fields overwhelmed by water, longtime resident Evelyn Coleman said they were lucky the river didnSA国际影视传媒檛 burst its bank at 3 a.m.

SA国际影视传媒淎ll that would have remained would have been bodies floating,SA国际影视传媒� she said

She and her husband Pat have owned property in Paradise since 1992, SA国际影视传媒渁nd it is the place we feel the most grounded,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Over the last decade, the couple has seen a number of young families settle in the community to start businesses and work in agriculture, on some of the best farmland in the territory. But now much of that work has been undone.

SA国际影视传媒淧at and I just watched 30 years of our lives go down the river,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淥ne challenge I have is how ISA国际影视传媒檓 expected to rebuild in an area where the water was nine feet high and rushing across the property for three and a half days,SA国际影视传媒� she continued. SA国际影视传媒淚 really donSA国际影视传媒檛 think people in town understand what happened in the valley at all.SA国际影视传媒�

Bhreagh Ingarfield and her husband Thomas Whittaker purchased a home in Paradise Valley last year with plans of opening a small bed and breakfast, building a greenhouse and raising Karelian bear dogs. Their business was scheduled to open this fall.

SA国际影视传媒淚t pushed our budget, but it was worth it to pursue our dreams,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

But after this past flood season, Ingarfield is weighing her options. She doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 know if theySA国际影视传媒檒l be able to start the business anymore.

SA国际影视传媒淲e canSA国际影视传媒檛 afford to abandon our mortgage or move to a safer area, but if we stay, we might end up regular victims,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲hat are the alternatives for us?SA国际影视传媒�

A pressing concern for Ingarfield is the destruction of their detached garage which was supposed to house their kennel. The garage is not considered part of their home so itSA国际影视传媒檚 not eligible for federal flood relief funding.

SA国际影视传媒淥ur own local and territorial government needs to stand up and fight hard against this meaningless rule that is biased against the reality of rural Canadians,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 guess that is what happens when folks who live in cities are making up rules with regards to disaster assistance.SA国际影视传媒�

The community, located on an arc-shaped curve of the Hay River, sustained massive damage as residents were ordered to evacuate because of dramatically rising waters.

Many farm animals died as a result of the disaster, said Ingarfield. One farmer lost his entire herd of 13 cows, another lost a number of chickens and sheep. On another farm a greenhouse was destroyed, though a second one survived.

Paradise Valley was also home to many acres of berry farms, a Bible camp, vegetable fields and campgrounds, many of which were under several metres of water, she added.

SA国际影视传媒淔or myself, and many of the folks in Paradise Valley, one of the biggest challenges is how we move forward,SA国际影视传媒� said Ingarfield. SA国际影视传媒淭he flooding was catastrophic and unprecedented. Not only did we have high water, we had five days of that same high water sweeping over our properties and through our homes and businesses.SA国际影视传媒�

Flood relief funding

The GNWT has announced that residents of Hay River and the KSA国际影视传媒檃tlSA国际影视传媒檕deeche First Nation reserve can now qualify for extra money to help cover the cost of flood damage.

Under the new rules of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 Disaster Assistance Policy (DAP), the highest amount paid out for the replacement of a home or business destroyed by floods is being increased to $240,000 from $100,000, said Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs Shane Thompson during a news conference last week.

Those who qualify can receive an extra $75,000 for pre-approved flood mitigation measures SA国际影视传媒� such as raising a home or installing water-resistant building materials.

But Ingarfield expressed hesitancy about rebuilding her home in a possibly flood-prone area.

SA国际影视传媒淭he government is quite literally insisting that we rebuild our homes in an area of uncertainty,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲e are proud, independent folk out here. We want to invest in our homes, our farms, and our livestock smartly SA国际影视传媒� ensuring that we definitely arenSA国际影视传媒檛 putting ourselves or the community in this position again.SA国际影视传媒�

She wants the government to invest in flood mitigation projects to help prepare the community for extreme flooding events in the future, including retaining walls along the high side of the bank, berms and trees.

The flooding also cut the community off from crucial road access.

The Town of Hay River has scrapped a $110,000 plan to realign a roughly 200-metre stretch of Paradise Road, which connects the community to Highway 2, after it was seriously damaged in the flood.

The Department of Infrastructure has helped the town build a temporary road, the Paradise Garden Access Road, said Sarah McLeod, a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure in an email.

SA国际影视传媒淭he original access road was situated close to the river bank and was threatened by erosion,SA国际影视传媒� she stated. SA国际影视传媒淭he new road alignment was moved from the river bank towards private property and built closer to the property line to help reduce the impacts from potential future river bank erosion. The Town of Hay River delineated the property lines and worked with local residents to resolve property issues.SA国际影视传媒�

The town worked with a consultant to design the temporary road, she said, while the Department of Infrastructure built it. Construction is now complete and project clean-up is in progress.

While Ingarfield is SA国际影视传媒渃ertainly happy to have a road again,SA国际影视传媒� she said there was a SA国际影视传媒渕ajorSA国际影视传媒� lack of consultation with residents regarding its construction.

SA国际影视传媒淲e understand the need for the access road was severe,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淏ut there was certainly enough time to schedule a one-hour meeting. Because of this lack of consultation, culverts that provide drainage for spring runoff, and water access for fields, gardens and livestock, were torn up and built over.SA国际影视传媒�

Compounding the communication problem is that almost two months after the disaster, telephone and internet services are still SA国际影视传媒渨eak to non-existent in Paradise,SA国际影视传媒� she said, and Northwestel has informed residents that they may not be back up until next year.