Welcoming Lake St. Martin evacuees home

The Canadian Red Cross was on-hand at Lake St. Martin to help celebrate a historic ribbon-cutting ceremony and welcome evacuees back to the area after unprecedented flooding forced residents from their homes.

On Sept. 12, 2018, the Lake St. Martin First Nation officially opened its new, state-of-the-art school. The opening of the school marked a massive step in the recovery and rejuvenation of the community. Red Cross provided a grant for the opening ceremonies and Red Cross staff were on hand to witness the occasion.

In mid-November 2018, the Red Cross team travelled to Lake St. Martin to personally visit 150 homes. At each residence, staff welcomed evacuees back to the community and distributed Welcome Home kits which included contact information for local resources, a guidebook for personal recovery, and a resource for parents and caregivers on how to help children as they readjust to life at home.

In early April 2019, Red Cross returned to Lake St. Martin to find the hustle and bustle of construction everywhere in the community. There are 60 homes at various stages of development and more lots are being dug out and foundations laid.

Manitoba 2018-2019 Report Back to Communities