Peguis First Nation declares state of emergency over chronic flooding, deplorable housing conditions
CTV
Cheryl-Lee Spence and her children have been displaced by flooding on Peguis First Nation multiple times.
Cheryl-Lee Spence and her children have been displaced by flooding on Peguis First Nation multiple times.
The last evacuation lasted eight months, and they had eight kids and two adults in a hotel room.
“It was very stressful, it was hard emotionally and keeping our kids crammed in a hotel, it’s not living,” said Spence.
The family came home last October to a foot of water in the basement, damage to the home, and theft.
This was on top of the chronic mold problem in the house which made her and her children sick.
“Three were hospitalized, my youngest one was a recent one where she was put in the ICU twice,” said Spence.
Peguis First Nation estimates around 120 homes are condemned in the community but because of a shortage of housing, people live in some of them anyway.