‘Everything we predicted’: pipes burst for some Pimicikamak residents, sparking new worries after outage

Water pipes burst in some Pimicikamak Cree Nation homes — flooding basements and crawlspaces — and there were reports of sewage backups as power was gradually restored after a four-day outage.

Manitoba Hydro said all customers had power again as of 1:30 p.m. Friday after the phased return began Thursday, while Pimicikamak Chief David Monias expected some homes with water damage to be temporarily uninhabitable.

“It’s everything we predicted,” he told the Free Press. “As places are warming up, people are starting to see the leaks in pipes.”

Reports of frozen pipes, pumps and holding tanks were widespread in the community, about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg, during the outage.

Some of Pimicikamak’s 7,000 residents posted videos and photos on social media that showed water spraying from burst pipes or pooling inside their basements or crawlspaces as homes thawed.

Sharon Frogg, who’s staying at a temporary warming centre with her three children, discovered water in her crawlspace when she checked on her home Thursday.

“The pipe burst. My crawlspace was all flooded, and water was coming out of the washroom floor already,” she said. “I called a plumber and they had to shut off everything. The plumber said it’s really bad damage.”

Frogg was told some walls and flooring have to be ripped out and replaced. She expects it will take weeks to complete the repairs. She doesn’t know when she will return home.

“It’s really sad. We don’t have the kind of money where we can go check into a hotel,” she said, noting many residents do not have home insurance policies.

About 60 people, including young children, were still staying at the warming centre, she said Friday afternoon. They’ve been sleeping on cots, air beds and mattresses retrieved from home.

“I’m exhausted. My kids are tired,” said Frogg, who’s helped to prepare meals for evacuees.

The power outage began late Sunday after a 300-metre-long line snapped in a remote and forested area about 10 km north of Pimicikamak. The line was between two islands in the Nelson River.

While it’s not yet clear how many homes or which public infrastructure will require repairs, Monias said Pimicikamak’s recovery period will be prolonged.

The community’s school will not reopen Monday, when students across Manitoba return from their winter break.

Pimicikamak declared a state of emergency, followed by a public health emergency, earlier this week.

Monias said there is an urgent need for plumbers, engineers and other experts.

“We are not OK. The (community’s) water lines most likely will be affected,” Monias said.

There were reports of sewage backups, he said.

Indigenous Services Canada will provide financial help to repair damaged infrastructure, spokesman Anispiragas Piragasanathar said.

A Manitoba government spokesperson said plumbers and electricians were brought to Pimicikamak to assess the damage from frozen water pipes and pumps.

“Discussions are underway to co-ordinate the delivery of water and make arrangements for any additional resources that may be required,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

Manitoba Hydro completed repairs to the broken line Thursday and restored power in phases — a day later than originally anticipated — to avoid overloading the system.

The remote location of the break, the rugged terrain and freezing cold made for a difficult job for Hydro staff and contractors. At least one helicopter was used because ice on the river was not thick enough for vehicles.

Hydro is not responsible for damage related to power outages, spokesman Peter Chura said. He said contractors have been asked to help detect water leaks.

The temperature plunged to -30 C some nights, while residents wearing extra layers huddled in living rooms with wood stoves, used gas-powered generators to operate electric heaters, or even slept inside running vehicles.

About 1,400 people left the community. Vulnerable residents, including elders, people with health concerns and families with babies, were moved to hotels in Winnipeg and Thompson by bus. Some people drove out on their own to stay in hotels or with family or friends.

Eva Muswagon, one of 11 people who stayed in her home, which was chilly inside despite the use of a wood stove, said she and other family members are feeling sick.

“I started feeling the chills two days ago,” she said.

Her home was among those that did not have running water Friday morning.

“We’re doing OK right now. Hygiene is the only problem right now,” said Muswagon, who was relieved when the power came back on at her home Thursday afternoon.

Shirley Thomas, 71, said early Friday afternoon her home didn’t have running water. She could not top up her prescribed medication because a pharmacy was still closed.

“It’s been survival mode for us, doing the best we can,” she wrote in a social media message to a reporter.

It’s not the only emergency for Pimicikamak over the past year. The First Nation and neighbouring Cross Lake were surrounded by wildfires last summer, resulting in evacuations.

Monias said bureaucracy delayed government response to both emergencies.

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“This (emergency) is very traumatic for people,” he said, noting it occurred over the holidays. “Everybody wants to be home, especially at this time of year.”

The federal government, via the Canadian Red Cross, provided generators, heaters, food, water and hotel rooms for Pimicikamak residents.

Manitoba Hydro provided a large generator to get a water treatment plant working again, plus eight generators to power eight heavy-duty heaters for the community’s use.

The province said blankets and cots were also delivered.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.