Kashechewan flood evacuees arriving in Cornwall, Ottawa today

The second phase in the evacuation of Kashechewan, Ont., is taking place today as between 600 and 700 residents are expected to leave the First Nations community for eastern Ontario, while a flood nears.

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The most vulnerable people were taken from the town, located on the western shore of James Bay, on Thursday and Friday as the flood threat grew.

On Saturday, the next stage of the evacuation involved moving another large group to Ottawa and Cornwall, Ont.

Chief Derek Stephen has warned the dike there faces a "horrible risk" of collapse due to ice jams that are backing up the river.

On Friday, Stephen said 600 of the most vulnerable residents left Kashechewan including seniors, families with children and people with disabilities.

Three flights also left Thursday carrying people to safety in Kapuskasing, about 325 kilometres to the southwest. Some evacuees were being moved to Smooth Rock Falls, just down the road from Kapuskasing.

All 1,900 residents will leave within the next week, although 15 to 20 people will remain behind to keep an eye on the community and its precarious dike, Stephen added.

He expects the flooding to begin in a week to a week-and-a-half.

NDP MP Charlie Angus said water levels are being monitored over the weekend. Those levels could affect the number of evacuees on Saturday, Angus said.

4th straight year 

This is the fourth consecutive year that Kashechewan has had to be evacuated.

Stephen said it's time to move the community to higher ground so it doesn't have to face this every spring when the ice thaws and river waters rise.

Stephen predicts it would cost about $750 million to move Kashechewan to higher ground.

Gilles Bisson, the NDP MPP for Timmins-James Bay, has said he agrees it's time to make a major change.