137 Long Plain First Nation tornado evacuees to be moved to Portage la Prairie

One week after a tornado ripped through Long Plain First Nation, Man.,137 people still can't go home.

• Long Plain First Nation tornado evacuees could be out of homes for months, says chief
• Tornado-producing storm leaves trail of destruction in southern Manitoba
• Manitoba Hutterite colony faces tornado aftermath

At the peak of the evacuation, there were 585 peoplestaying in hotels in Winnipeg, about 100 kilometres east of Long Plain. People who arestill out of their homes will bemoved on Thursday to Canad Inns inPortage la Prairie, which is just north of Long Plain, where they will continue to wait to gohome, said Long Plain Chief Dennis Meeches.

"'When can I go home?' That's their big question," he said Wednesday.

The state of emergency declared the day after the storm is still in effect, Meeches said.

"It's too early to say definitively when people will be back in their community," said ShawnFeely, who speaks for theRed Cross in Manitoba.

Meeches said he's grateful that no one was hurt.

"Our first priority was that people would be safe, and there was a real blessing that there [were] no injuries reported from the tornado, so that was something that we're very, very happy about," he said Wednesday.

People are starting to accept what has happened and are gaining their strength back, Meeches said. The storm was a traumatic experience for many of the community's young people, so services have been made available to them.

"Our people are very resilient... We've been through many, many challenges through the years," he said.

57 homes severely damaged

The number of homes severelydamaged by the tornado and storm is higher than previously believed, the chief said.Meechessaid he still does not have an updated damage estimate but repeated that it is"well into the millions."

"So many homeswere seriously, heavily damaged by the tornado," he said. Approximately 57 homes were severely damaged, he said, andsome will take four or five months to be replaced.

"Some of them will be writeoffs, obviously," said Meeches.Many homes had their roofs torn off and others were torn off their foundations.

There was also secondary damage to property, includingflooding and sewer backups, he said.

Wednesday should bethe insurance company's last day on site, he said. Inspectors have been there for days, and Meeches is still waiting for the detailed damage report.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canadahas committed to reimbursing Long Plain First Nationfor renovations to band homes, he said. However, it could take anywhere from two to three months to be reimbursed. The insurance company is overseeing the damages to the other homes, he said.

Cleanup well underway

More than 200 people were helping clean upat one point on the First Nation, Meeches said, and the job is about 75 to 80 per cent complete.

"We've had hundreds and hundreds of trees that were brought down by the storm and the high winds, and a lot of yards were affected, and a lot of roads were affected by that."

Long Plain First Nation is footing the bill for a lot of the cleanup costs, Meeches said.Many people were moved from their regular jobs to join in the effort.

"It's been quite busy," said Meeches. "Our counciland our staff, our people have really pulled together. It was something that we have never experienced before."

While there are still a few places that require hydro reconnections, for the most part, hydro was up and running the day after the storm, Meeches said.

Boil water advisory still active

A boil water advisory thatMeeches describedas precautionaryis also still in effect as they wait for test results from Health Canada.

The Red Cross sent 24,000 litres of drinking water to the community immediately after the storm andanother 10,000 litres yesterday. Anumber of otherorganizations have contributed water as well, Meeches said.

"We really appreciate the support we've been receiving from outside the community, from neighbouring First Nations and communities and organizations that have reached out to Long Plain First Nation to provide support."