In a preemptive move, Kashechewan is starting to evacuate due to annual flooding.

Chief Leo Friday says the first wave, about 700 residents, are going to Kapuskasing for now.

“Kapuskasing has been very kind to us in helping our residents.  Timmins has been giving a hard time though.  They say the city doesn’t have the right amount of employees to help but this is place with do business with year-round.”

The first set of evacuees are mostly elders and younger children.  Friday says this annual evacuation is constantly disturbing our traditions and culture.

“The only real solution is relocation.  There was a study from ten years ago saying it would cost too much then the new government came in a said ‘let’s develop the community and make it look better instead.”

Friday says he’s people are susceptible to many chronic illnesses, like diabetes, and living in these conditions could eventually lead to the death of his community.

The first plane loads of people have already started to arrive in Kapuskasing.