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On April 26, the Government of Ontario announced that Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) have worked with First Nations, other provincial ministries and the federal government to coordinate the evacuation of Kashechewan and Fort Albany on the James Bay coast. Rapidly rising waters and large blocks of ice on the Albany River caused damage to protective dykes in Fort Albany and significantly increased the risk of flooding in that community and nearby Kashechewan. MNR officials worked with the Department of National Defence to coordinate the planned airlift of nearly 1,900 residents of Kashechewan and Fort Albany. Helicopters, military transport and charter aircraft are ferrying residents from the two coastal First Nations to host communities across the province. These communities include Kapuskasing, Cochrane, Greenstone, Hearst, Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake and North Bay in northern Ontario, and the Perth County communities of Stratford, St. Marys, Perth East and Mitchell. CBC reported on April 27 that evacuated residents are expected to be away from home for six to eight weeks.
(Sources: Government of Ontario, 26 April 2008; CBC, 27 April 2008)
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