Hay River evacuee, 94, has 'no complaints' staying at the Yellowknife Multiplex

At 94, Alex Morin of Hay River, N.W.T. has seen a lot happen in his community. But finding himself staying at the Yellowknife Multiplex two years in a row — first due to flooding, then fires — has been something different.

"It seems like everything happened in the past two years," Morin said. 

Morin is among the nearly 300 evacuees from Hay River and Kátł'odeeche First Nation staying at the Yellowknife Multiplex. He said he has "no complaints" about his accommodations. 

"I'm looked after pretty good here," Morin said. 

But he still wants to know when he can go home. 

Morin's home was damaged in last year's flooding and he said he is still waiting on repairs. Breakup was smooth this year, he said, and he said he'd been hopeful they had dodged the flood risk.

But on Sunday he said people suddenly showed up at his house telling him he needed to evacuate because of a nearby fire. 

"They come and got me," he said, adding he was told he had to leave immediately. 

"No chance to get anything." 

Now, Morin spends his days at the Multiplex talking with people at the evacuation centre, where he's also spent the past few nights. 

He said he has lots of blankets and that the food there is "not bad." 

But he won't be spending nights there anymore. Morin'sfamily said he'll be staying at a bed and breakfast, and will return to the evacuation centre during the day to be with his fellow community members. 

Morin, a former president of the Hay River fishing association, still likes to talk about the fishery industry and has some suggestions for what the government can do to improve it. 

The Town of Hay River posted on Facebook at 10 a.m. on Wednesday that the Yellowknife has 896 registered evacuees — 298 who are staying at the multiplex.