Siksika Nation struggles to keep roads passable in wake of flooding

The Siksika Nation east of Calgary continues to workto makeroads passable one ofmany rural areas around southern Alberta contending with overland flooding.

A a week-long state of local emergency was declared Monday, whichcould be extended if flooding persists.

Officials said more than half of the 560 kilometres of roads that criss-cross Canada's second-largest reserve have been washed out as large volumes of snow melt.

• Vulcan County declares state of emergency due to overland flooding

Stewart Breaker, who is in charge of the emergency response, says roads are drying up thanks to warming temperatures. But warm temperatures means more melting snow, which they are expecting over the weekend. Authorities will beassessing the situation daily.

Roads closed to school buses

Keon Doore, who is in charge of public works for the Siksika Nation, says roads have been closed to school buses and vehicles over 2,500 kilograms to avoid further damage.

"It became a safety factor, particularly for the little kids," Doore said in an updateWednesday.

"A lot of these roads are still really rough for a bus to travel on, so little kids are bouncing around on the buses and there's no seatbelts."

As a result, Siksikastudents struggled to find ways to get to school Wednesday.

"Buses can't get to our houses," 18-year-old Kerisa McHugh said."It's too bad."

Challenging year for Siksika

The flood added to what has been a challenging year for McHugh. She was also home alone six months ago, when wildfires tore through the area.

"Fire is something you can actually get hurt in. Now it's water and it's a more calmer kind of fear. But you're still worried about your family and your friends," she said.

"Now the flood that's happening, it's scary because you have friends that live in their houses are more dipped into the earth and the water is just basically flowing towardtheir basements."

Chief Joseph Weasel Child said Tuesdaythat 30 of the First Nation's 1,200 homes have been affected, meaning leaking basements and flooded septic fields.

The Siksika Nation is home to around 7,600 people.

• SiksikaNation in 'crisis stage' as flooding threatens several southern Alberta communities

In the event of evacuations, Breaker said the community's sportsplex will be used as a reception centre.

Roads not getting proper upkeep due to rebuilding homes

The Siksika Nation was also hit hard by flooding in southern Alberta in 2013. Since then, its public works department has spent 80 per cent of its time rebuilding homes and, as a result, the roads have not been getting the proper upkeep, Weasel Child said.

"We're in dire circumstances right now due to the infrastructure, lack of funding and a number of things that have compounded the situation over a number of years," he said.

A number of rural areas in southern Alberta have been deluged in recent days. The Medicine Hat News reported that five people were forced from a home in the County of Forty Mile as flood waters overflowed a canal.

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