Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the excellent work of the emergency personnel from the town of Hay River and the Hay River Reserve during the flood of the Hay River, which occurred in both communities beginning on April 30th.

I visited both communities on May 1st, where I met with evacuated residents and viewed the damage caused by flooding. Seeing the affected areas in the West Channel area on Vale Island and in the Old Village on the reserve, showed me the difficult situation emergency workers faced evacuating the affected residents when it was realized the area would flood.

Mr. Speaker, the town and the Hay River Reserve's emergency response teams are familiar with responding to flood emergencies during the spring breakup period. However, every emergency response requires coordinated and speedy action.

Both emergency teams worked effectively together monitoring the flood, responding to the flood and organizing and carrying out the evacuation. Each community's follow-up with the residents, while they were displaced from their homes, ensured all were provided adequate emergency food and shelter.

Both communities also worked hard to assist the evacuees to recover from the flood by restoring their property to a livable state. I greatly appreciate the hard work and the concern shown by the emergency teams for ensuring the safety and comfort of the evacuees.

Mr. Speaker, emergency response work is difficult and trying. Emergency officials and volunteers must act quickly to ensure an appropriate response is mounted against every threat or situation. The threat that was posed by the flood required fast action on the part of both emergency response teams to keep residents safe.

Mr. Speaker, I have written to Mayor McNeill and to Chief Fabian to personally acknowledge the good work of their community emergency response teams.

---Applause