NWT Community That Helped Others Now Receives Help in Its Hour of Need

The site where Tammy Neal's house once stood is seen in the aftermath of wildfire that burned through Enterprise, Northwest Territories, on Aug. 13, 2023. (Courtesy of Tammy Neal)

Enterprise, a community of about 100 people in the Northwest Territories, has often opened its doors to fire and flood evacuees in the past, and now many are hoping to help them, in turn, after a devastating wildfire. Only about a dozen houses are still standing, with three dozen others in the small hamlet destroyed by quick-moving fire.

Enterprise is on the border of Alberta and is known as the “gateway to the North.” While fire has come close before, resident Tammy Neal says, she never thought it would get them. Enterprise has prided itself on being the first FireSmart community in the Northwest Territories, part of a national program to prevent wildfire damage.

Extreme high winds rushed the wildfire in too quickly for any real response on Aug. 13. Ms. Neal was out of town and didn’t have a chance to retrieve anything from her home—including the ashes of her 14-year-old son who died in a motorbike accident in 2014.

“I pray they are in the rubble somewhere and that I will find them,” she told The Epoch Times via email.

“It seems like the scene in a horror film right now [and] rebuilding seems so far in the distance,” she said. But Enterprise is tight-knit—and so is the whole territory with a population “smaller than most cities,” Ms. Neal said—and that will get them through.

“I keep telling myself that Enterprise residents will all come out of this stronger and wiser and we will rebuild bigger and better, no matter how long it takes,” she said. “I believe not only Enterprise, but the N.W.T. as a whole, will become closer because of having shared such devastation.”

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In the Northwest Territories, she said, “everyone knows everyone and we are like family.”

Contractors Volunteer to Rebuild

That sentiment was shared by former Yellowknife resident Bob Horton. Although he now lives in Edmonton, Mr. Horton, who has a small development company, is already at work on a rebuilding initiative for Enterprise. He hopes to help replace at least three lost homes that won’t be covered by insurance.

“All of the people of the Northwest Territories are really good at supporting each other,” Mr. Horton told The Epoch Times. He gave the example of an electrical contractor he knows in Yellowknife who has volunteered to do the wiring in the homes.

“He and his family are evacuated, but as soon as he heard about what I was trying to put together, he volunteered to help,” he said. Mr. Horton said he wouldn’t have asked him after what he’s been through, but the contractor didn’t need to be asked and came forward of his own accord.

Mr. Horton has tackled all the logistics, from permitting to making sure CN rail can transport building materials. He’s now waiting to raise enough money to pay for the materials. He has started a GoFundMe campaign and joined forces with another contractor in the territory, Jaysen Cameron, who has also launched a GoFundMe.

Mr. Cameron was on a job to help rebuild government housing in the Northwest Territories when the fires swept through and destroyed the homes of his Enterprise crew-members.

“The humble people of this town continually open their doors and offer safe haven to those who are in need, often giving up their homes entirely to those in need,” Mr. Cameron wrote on his GoFundMe page.

“This small but proud community is filled with amazing people who would give the shirt off their backs to anyone in need. But this time, the town of Enterprise needs your help.”

‘There for Each Other’

Ms. Neal spoke to the strong sense of community in Enterprise.

“Enterprise is a close-knit community. Everyone knows everyone and we are all there for each other through thick and thin,” she said. “We fight and laugh together like family, and like family, at the end of the day everyone comes together to help any resident in need, celebrate, coordinate large events, host other communities during times of need.”

Metal roofing from part of Tammy Neal's home lies on the ground after a wildfire tore through Enterprise, Northwest Territories, on Aug. 13, 2023. (Courtesy of Tammy Neal)

Tammy Neal lost vehicles and machinery outside her home, as well as the house itself, in wildfire that devastated Enterprise, Northwest Territories, on Aug. 13, 2023. (Courtesy of Tammy Neal)

Ms. Neal’s daughter and her six children also lost her home in Enterprise, and her son and mother have been evacuated from their homes in nearby Hay River. Ms. Neal and her husband are staying at rental cabins they own and operate about 130 km from Enterprise.

She’s not sure yet what the insurance company will cover on their home. She has inquired but hasn’t received a definitive answer. She said their vehicles, including trailers and equipment attachments, won’t be covered.

Her husband drove back to Enterprise to see what had become of their house after the road opened up again. When he returned with the news, Ms. Neal said: “I cried, we cried. I was in shock and I felt numb for days. Then, when reality kicked in, I cried more.”

She said she knows she’s not alone in her sorrow, with most of Enterprise’s residents having lost their homes. Ms. Neal’s sister, Lori-Anne Trotter, is raising funds through GoFundMe to help many in the community displaced and homeless.

“All we have is each other and hope to hold on to right now, but we are strong and resilient and we will get through this.”