Terrible news. Hope everyone gets out safe. I want to say this is unprecedented, as (to my knowledge) this is the first total evacuation of a provincial or territorial capital in history, but I am not 100% sure. Can anyone confirm?
this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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Thanks. Apparently I forgot about Winnipeg in the fifties. That said, I can't see if that was a city-wide evacuation like this one.
Winnipeg also has multiple exits and a huge rural ring of places to escape to outside town. Yellowknife has one road and one airport. I guess technically you could take a boat too if you have one.
True, hence why evacuating the whole city is such a big deal. I don't think it ever happened before. Oh by the way: I read they're explicitly telling people to not try to evacuate on boat, so perhaps that's not the best idea.
After Maui no one's taking chances.
"Minister orders town to evacuate by noon or face the consequences" has a very Old Testament feel to it.
A city the size of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories being destroyed by a wildfire has a decidedly apocalyptic feel to it ... so the orders track.
I totally agree it's not funny. It's a tragedy. But I did sincerely misunderstand what I read. "Why the fuck is a minister evacuating a town?" To be fair, I'm American, so the "minister" threw me.
"And know not one soul shall be found upon these lands, for any who remain know His wrath and only the suffering of Hell.
Flee, oh righteous souls, for once the sun is upon it's apex, the wrath of the Holy Father will consume you all!"
"Dammit, just tell us there's a fire and we need to leave!"
Stay safe everyone
This is the best summary I could come up with:
There is time to evacuate the city of Yellowknife safely, said the territory's minister of Environment and Climate Change and Municipal and Community Affairs Wednesday, and people should begin leaving tonight.
In a news conference Wednesday evening, Minister Shane Thompson announced a city-wide evacuation order that would involve a "phased approach" with people from areas of the city already under alert (Kam Lake, Grace Lake, Engle industrial area) heading out Wednesday night, alongside people in Dettah.
No other explanation of the phased approach to evacuation has been offered, but people in all of Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ and the Ingraham Trail are asked to be out of the city by noon Friday.
Thompson said that the highway from Yellowknife to Alberta is safe to drive.
He also said the department will have gas available along the highway, as well as tow trucks.
Officials said that would include civilian and military aircraft, though few details were immediately available.
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