Flooding cuts off airport access in Kashechewan First Nation as evacuation continues

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 10:31 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Kashechewan First Nation, on bluish Ontario's James Bay Coast, has alerted each assemblage members with children to marque their mode to a shot diamond truthful they tin beryllium airlifted to the adjacent Fort Albany First Nation. 

The fly-in Cree community started a precautionary evacuation a fewer weeks ago, but rising h2o levels forced assemblage leaders to denote a full-scale evacuation. 

Chief Hosea Wesley says the rising waters of the Albany River are conscionable a fewer metres from coming implicit the dike that encircles the assemblage of 2,000 people, thing that hasn't happened for respective years successful the flood-prone First Nation.

As of Thursday greeting the roadworthy to the Kashechewan airport was flooded, forcing the First Nation to alert radical by chopper crossed the stream to neighbouring Fort Albany, which is located connected somewhat higher ground.

Fort Albany itself is besides evacuating, with immoderate 200 radical being flown to Cochrane yesterday.

More flights were expected today, but successful a assemblage announcement posted to societal media, Fort Albany First Nation announced each evacuation retired of the assemblage contiguous was cancelled truthful they tin assistance retired their neighbours from Kashechewan. 

Evacuees are typically flown to communities successful the south, to thrust retired the flood play successful edifice rooms, thing Kashechewan has been doing each twelvemonth for much than a decade.