N.W.T. government launches new evacuee registration portal

The N.W.T. government has launched a new online Evacuee Registration Portal to streamline the process of registering evacuees before and during evacuations.

The government said in a news release Tuesday the new portal replaces the current paper process ad was developed in response to community government feedback.

Residents are now able to pre-register before an evacuation, and to request assistance from their community government during an evacuation.

The government said the new portal will increase functionality for the NWT Emergency Management Organization responding to multiple disasters at once, as well as improve data reporting, including advance warning for evacuation centres.

Shane Thompson, N.W.T. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, said in the release the new portal will aid both community governments and evacuees.

“Community governments need to be able to respond as efficiently as possible during disaster events. It is also important to ensure that the process of providing assistance is not a burden on evacuees. This new portal supports the collaboration we have built with community governments in times of disasters and evacuations. We are always listening and learning from our partners and residents. This portal will be an important tool going forward,” Thompson said.

The portal is compatible with mobile phones and allows one person to register all evacuees living at the same residence. Community governments can also manually add residents who are unable to register themselves.

The portal can produce reports that will calculate the number of evacuees and break down needs at the evacuation centre, the government said.