Worrying about the folks up north
18/08/23 02:35
I think it is more than just the romance of Robert Service poems. I admit that I have read a lot of Robert Service poems. A few years ago, before I retired, I read through a large collection of poems that claimed to be the complete collection of his poetry. But I have read a lot more about the north country. I have poured over the Milepost, a mile-by-mile guide to the Alaska Highway that also includes information about the roads and highways in Yukon and Northwest Territories. I’m not much for television, but I have watched many episodes of Ice Pilots NWT and Ice Road Truckers on YouTube.
The Northwest Territories is a huge amount of area with a small population. Communities are usually small and very far apart. I’ve lived most of my life in states that are considered to be large with small populations. Washington is a little over 71,000 square miles. A little over 7.7 million people live here. But I consider this to be a very populated place compared to where we have lived most of our lives. South Dakota has 895,000 people spread out over 77,000 square miles. And the largest population center of that state is 350 miles from where we lived, though Rapid City, with 76,000 people is the state’s second largest urban area. I grew up in a much larger state, Montana, with an area of 147,000 square miles. A little over a million people live there now, but that is a big increase from the days when I lived there. All of those places, however, are relatively crowded compared with the Northwest Territories. The area of the Northwest Territories is 519,700 square miles. Only 45,000 people live there. That’s a little over 11.5 square miles per person.
Yellowknife, the capitol of the North West Territories is home to nearly half of the total population of the province. About 20,000 people live there. And they have all been ordered to evacuate by today due to wildfires threatening the city. The question is, “Where do those people go?” A second question is equally relevant, “How are they going to get there?”
Instinct might lead someone living in Yellowknife to drive around Great Slave Lake to Hay River, but Hay River has also been ordered to be evacuated due to threatening fires. Evacuations have also been ordered in Fort Smith, Enterprise, K’atl’odeechee First Nation and Jean Marie River. Roughly 60% of the total population of the Northwest Territories is under orders to evacuate due to fires.
Driving away from the province is not an easy matter. Because of the large distances, travel is expensive. If you drive, you have to be prepared for many miles of road with few services. Add in a few roads blocked by fires and a few communities where the gas stations are closed due to evacuation orders and there are some routes that are impossible to travel.
People in the north have long relied on aviation to get into and out of remote locations. Yellowknife is served by two major airlines, Air Canada and WestJet. Both have added extra flights, but flights have had to be postponed due to wildfire smoke. Only about 400 people were able to fly out of Yellowknife yesterday. There are 22 flights scheduled for today which could accommodate a maximum of about 1,800 people. It is estimated that about 5,000 need to be evacuated by air. And not all of those who need to fly out of the city have the funds to purchase expensive airline travel. Airline spokespersons say that the airlines have adjusted fares downward and waived change fees, but the cost is still high. The Canadian Air Force is providing military transports but some of those flights have been prioritized for some of the most remote communities.
The highway leading south is lined with vehicles filled with people fleeing the fires. All of those people will need services such as fuel and food. Many are willing to sleep in their vehicles and drive long days. They are used to that form of travel, but you can’t travel without fuel and that is a problem in some areas.
Folks are getting used to waiting in line for almost everything they need.
Hundreds of fires are burning across the territory. Firefighters are prioritizing those that threaten population centers, but resources for firefighters are thin and most of the fires in the territory will be put out by winter.
They do get winter in the north. The hearty people of the territory know the chill of -40. It is the point on the thermometer where Fahrenheit and Celsius meet. -40 is the same temperature on both scales. Although the territories are experiencing a record heat wave this summer, those who live there know that winter is always just around the corner. Among other things that means that for those who lose their homes, rebuilding this year is out of the question. There is no way building materials could be obtained in time to make this summer’s construction schedule. And there will be no construction because of evacuation orders. It raises a third question, “Where will all those people spend the winter?”
Who would have thought that the people of Maui in Hawaii and the people of the Northwest Territories would be facing the same dilemma?
I know a bit about the kind of people who are attracted to living in remote places. I’m fairly certain there are a few who don’t believe that human-caused climate change is a reality. There are more than a few who simply don’t pay attention to the news and politics. But whether they know about it or whether they believe in it, climate change is dramatically altering their way of life. They have adapted to harsh winters and remote living, but massive fires destroying everything in their paths create a set of circumstances that no one can survive. Their world is forever changed.
I’ll be watching the drama unfold from a distance, even as I dream of ways to visit the Northwest Territories sometime in the future. I still hear the call of the north, but I know that now is not the time for me to be heading up there. One more fool won’t make things better.
The Northwest Territories is a huge amount of area with a small population. Communities are usually small and very far apart. I’ve lived most of my life in states that are considered to be large with small populations. Washington is a little over 71,000 square miles. A little over 7.7 million people live here. But I consider this to be a very populated place compared to where we have lived most of our lives. South Dakota has 895,000 people spread out over 77,000 square miles. And the largest population center of that state is 350 miles from where we lived, though Rapid City, with 76,000 people is the state’s second largest urban area. I grew up in a much larger state, Montana, with an area of 147,000 square miles. A little over a million people live there now, but that is a big increase from the days when I lived there. All of those places, however, are relatively crowded compared with the Northwest Territories. The area of the Northwest Territories is 519,700 square miles. Only 45,000 people live there. That’s a little over 11.5 square miles per person.
Yellowknife, the capitol of the North West Territories is home to nearly half of the total population of the province. About 20,000 people live there. And they have all been ordered to evacuate by today due to wildfires threatening the city. The question is, “Where do those people go?” A second question is equally relevant, “How are they going to get there?”
Instinct might lead someone living in Yellowknife to drive around Great Slave Lake to Hay River, but Hay River has also been ordered to be evacuated due to threatening fires. Evacuations have also been ordered in Fort Smith, Enterprise, K’atl’odeechee First Nation and Jean Marie River. Roughly 60% of the total population of the Northwest Territories is under orders to evacuate due to fires.
Driving away from the province is not an easy matter. Because of the large distances, travel is expensive. If you drive, you have to be prepared for many miles of road with few services. Add in a few roads blocked by fires and a few communities where the gas stations are closed due to evacuation orders and there are some routes that are impossible to travel.
People in the north have long relied on aviation to get into and out of remote locations. Yellowknife is served by two major airlines, Air Canada and WestJet. Both have added extra flights, but flights have had to be postponed due to wildfire smoke. Only about 400 people were able to fly out of Yellowknife yesterday. There are 22 flights scheduled for today which could accommodate a maximum of about 1,800 people. It is estimated that about 5,000 need to be evacuated by air. And not all of those who need to fly out of the city have the funds to purchase expensive airline travel. Airline spokespersons say that the airlines have adjusted fares downward and waived change fees, but the cost is still high. The Canadian Air Force is providing military transports but some of those flights have been prioritized for some of the most remote communities.
The highway leading south is lined with vehicles filled with people fleeing the fires. All of those people will need services such as fuel and food. Many are willing to sleep in their vehicles and drive long days. They are used to that form of travel, but you can’t travel without fuel and that is a problem in some areas.
Folks are getting used to waiting in line for almost everything they need.
Hundreds of fires are burning across the territory. Firefighters are prioritizing those that threaten population centers, but resources for firefighters are thin and most of the fires in the territory will be put out by winter.
They do get winter in the north. The hearty people of the territory know the chill of -40. It is the point on the thermometer where Fahrenheit and Celsius meet. -40 is the same temperature on both scales. Although the territories are experiencing a record heat wave this summer, those who live there know that winter is always just around the corner. Among other things that means that for those who lose their homes, rebuilding this year is out of the question. There is no way building materials could be obtained in time to make this summer’s construction schedule. And there will be no construction because of evacuation orders. It raises a third question, “Where will all those people spend the winter?”
Who would have thought that the people of Maui in Hawaii and the people of the Northwest Territories would be facing the same dilemma?
I know a bit about the kind of people who are attracted to living in remote places. I’m fairly certain there are a few who don’t believe that human-caused climate change is a reality. There are more than a few who simply don’t pay attention to the news and politics. But whether they know about it or whether they believe in it, climate change is dramatically altering their way of life. They have adapted to harsh winters and remote living, but massive fires destroying everything in their paths create a set of circumstances that no one can survive. Their world is forever changed.
I’ll be watching the drama unfold from a distance, even as I dream of ways to visit the Northwest Territories sometime in the future. I still hear the call of the north, but I know that now is not the time for me to be heading up there. One more fool won’t make things better.
