Some Marsh Lake property owners clear out as flood waters rise

Some property owners along South McClintock Road in Yukon have cleared out as Marsh Lake continues to rise.

"It's up fairly high and, you know, it's a west wind so the waves pound those sandbags," said John Small, a Whitehorse resident who owns a recreational property on South McClintock Road.

Small and some of his neighbours say they were told by emergency officials to vacate their Marsh Lake properties on Sunday.

"I got all the important things off and I managed to jack up my buildings and protect most of my stuff. So I'm sitting in a pretty good position," he said.

"But some of my neighbours didn't have the time to do so, and it's a little too stressful for them."

There are flood warnings in place for the Southern Lakes region, Lake Laberge and the Yukon River at Carmacks.

But Kat Hallett, a Yukon government spokesperson, said officials have not issued an evacuation alert or order for South McClintock residents, though some were "strongly encouraged" to vacate.

"Residents vacated their homes as crews prepared to build a berm to protect Bayview Road," Hallett wrote in an email on Tuesday.

"Members of the Incident Management Team spoke to residents about the risk of rising water near their homes and the option to leave voluntarily."

Meantime, sandbags are still being filled by residents and volunteers around Marsh Lake and other high-water areas of the territory.

Tuesday was also the first day of work for the approximately 100 Canadian Forces members who've been brought to Yukon to help with flood mitigation efforts.

They were sent to Yukon, most of them from a base in Edmonton, after the territory's government made a request for help from the federal government.