General Emergency Information

The City of Yellowknife has a Community Emergency Plan which enhances the coordination of resources to prepare, mitigate, respond to and recover from major emergencies or disasters.  This plan is prepared with an all-hazards approach and a wide scope to allow flexible response to any emergency.

The Community Emergency Plan was updated, as part of the annual review and validation, and based on the 2024 NWT Emergency Plan.

In the event of a major emergency or disaster, the City would activate its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), where critical staff would work together to carry out the planning and operations involved in managing an emergency.

The EOC is responsible for:

• Capturing and centralizing information about the major emergency or disaster
• Providing policy direction for coordinating and supporting on-the-ground responders
• Providing a structure to identify critical needs, and to establish major emergency or disaster response priorities
• Determining how to effectively use available resources and requesting resources from the territorial government if necessary
• Providing the public with clear direction and updates from the beginning to the end of the emergency, ensuring the community has the information they need to make educated decisions
• Managing the transition from response to recovery and communicating short and long-term recovery goals to the public

More information on emergency preparedness, including the NWT Emergency Management Act, can be found on the GNWT’s website.

Evacuation Plan

In addition to the Community Emergency Plan, the City of Yellowknife has developed an all-hazards Evacuation Plan. This plan, which is a companion document to the Community Emergency Plan, would be implemented by the City in the event of an emergency situation (like a wildfire) causing residents to evacuate. More evacuation information can be found within the wildfire section of our website. 

During an emergency, important messages will be relayed to residents via media releases, Emergency Email Notifications, the City’s Facebook page, as well as other methods as required. Wildfire updates will be posted on our website. When seeking information, always ensure to reference reliable sources. 

In the event there is an emergency involving third party service providers, like a power outage, information will be provided by the utility company directly responsible (e.g. Naka Power, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NorthwesTel). The City of Yellowknife would amplify messaging from third parties, sharing any information that is important for the safety of residents.

For health-related emergencies, either the Chief Public Health Officer, or another representative from the territorial government's Department of Health and Social Services, will be the responsible party for distributing information. In this case, the City and other government departments will provide assistance.

National guidelines recommend creating an emergency kit with 3 to 7 days of food and water for all family members while emergency response teams initiate planning and actions. Your emergency kit may also include special items for children, seniors, those with health needs, and pets. You can purchase pre-made kits or create your own based on your family's needs. Store emergency kits, along with a battery operated flashlight and other needed items, in an easy-to-find place in your home. More information on what to include in your emergency kit can be found on our website.

Create a personal emergency plan. This plan could include what to do if the local network/internet is down and you are unable to reach your family members, or the steps you’d take if an evacuation were to be called. 

In the event of an emergency, be sure to follow the instructions of local authorities and be as self-sufficient as possible to allow emergency responders to help those who require priority assistance.

Helpful resources:

• Information on preparing for emergencies
• How to make an emergency plan
• Emergency Preparedness Guide
• More information on emergency preparedness

In the event of a wildfire, the Environment and Climate Change Forest Management Division of the GNWT will relay information related to wildfire risk and behavior to the City. Based on this information, the City will communicate updates and public directives within the wildfire updates section of our website. This section also contains general information on how to prepare for wildfires and an evacuation, as well as health and safety tips for poor air quality. Wildfire updates will also be provided on the GNWT and NWT Fire websites.

Simple steps can be taken to ensure that you and your family are prepared for a winter power outage. Check out these helpful tips on how to prepare yourself, your home and your business for a power outage as well as information on water line freeze protection.