Pimicikamak, a remote Indigenous community in Manitoba, is grappling with a severe crisis following a power outage that began late Sunday. Chief David Monias has pleaded with federal officials to act immediately. Through this call, he personally encouraged the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada to intervene and deploy military assistance to assist with the fallout of the outage. The community of Cross Lake First Nation continues to suffer immensely after a broken line spanned across the Nelson River. Cutting off residents’ power without notice for days on end only deepens their suffering.
This loss of power and the resultant dismal situation in Pimicikamak has fallen over like a second wave. Water tanks have frozen, and the small community’s sewage systems are collapsing. Additionally, Pimicikamak has depleted their available stores of drinkable water, deepening the crisis as residents experience increasing health and safety hazards. Chief Monias underscored the dire nature of the situation in a recent letter to federal leaders. He amplified the community’s urgent need for more support.
Now, as reliably predicted power returns, there are other things to track with trepidation. No matter how many generators they have, experts are predicting a disaster of burst pipes once the electricity is restored, resulting in flooding across the entire community. This flooding would be even more devastating, from forcing additional families from their homes, adding to the misery our Pimicikamak neighbors already face.
Indigenous Services Canada offset some costs, as did the Canadian Red Cross, which was a key partner in providing services during the crisis. Their participation further highlights the magnitude and seriousness of the crisis, which has outstripped the capacity of local and regional resources. Chief Monias has pointed out the serious need for immediate federal support. That community now requires a lot of help to address this new, burgeoning disaster properly and holistically.
