Military team brought in after power outage leaving Pimicikamak Cree Nation
Last members of specialized team brought in to assess damage from days-long outage to depart Friday
A Canadian Armed Forces team is leaving Pimicikamak Cree Nation, two weeks after being deployed to the northern Manitoba First Nation to help in the aftermath of a days-long power outage.
The last members of a specialized team who arrived in Pimicikamak on Jan. 11 will leave Friday, according to a joint statement from the federal ministers of defence, Indigenous services and emergency management posted on social media that afternoon.
The team of engineers, logisticians and technical specialists came to help after a snapped power line led to an outage that began on Dec. 28, freezing pipes in the community, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
After power was fully restored days later, on Jan. 1, many frozen pipes thawed and burst, leading to damage to hundreds of homes and the First Nation's water infrastructure.
About 4,000 people evacuated from the community during and after the power outage. The Manitoba government requested military help in the days following the outage.
The joint statement by the federal ministers, posted by Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, said the specialized team's mission — which included assessing infrastructure like water plants and critical power systems — has been completed.
A report with recommendations has been submitted to Pimicikamak Chief David Monias, the statement said.
Monias has previously said that every one of the more than 1,300 homes in the community will require some sort of repair, from minor to major, which may take weeks or months.
Supports for evacuees remain in place in Winnipeg, Thompson and Norway House, the ministers' release said.