Help Us Rebuild & Return to our home community.

Hi my name is Genevieve Clarke. My husband, Elwyn and I built our home, and raised our 6 children in the Hamlet of Enterprise. On August 13th, 2023 our community was told to evacuate to Alberta. We had no alert, no time to get ready to leave, the only notice was, in essence, "Get out, Get out now". I jumped in old rusty, our 95 Ford F150, to Hay River, a community 40 Kilometers away in the wrong direction to pick up our daughter. My husband packed up the 97 Ford F150 and when we returned, we headed out to Alberta. As we left Enterprise the skies were turning black, it was early afternoon. This is the last time I saw our 7 bedroom home. It is now a pile of rubble.

The wildfire, that grew to 6 times the size of Edmonton Alberta, devastated Enterprise. 90% of the homes and several of the business were consumed. Including our place, 515 Birch Street. All we have left are the few things Elwyn was able to pack, and some clothes I had with me.

We did not have insurance. When we tried to get insurance, we were told that due to the fact that the woodstove was our main source of heat, that we did not have fire hydrants because we lived in trucked water community and that Enterprise's Fire department was only volunteer we were uninsurable. We tried to live without the woodstove, so that we could get insurance, however it did not take us long to realize that it was heat or insurance. The cost of propane was not affordable for our single income family. So Elwyn harvested timber outside our community limits so we would have enough money to manage our expenses.

The Government of the Northwest Territories Disaster Relief Fund may help us rebuild. I say may, the uninsured are being approved on a case by case basis, only if they meet the governments "extra - ordinary" circumstances for being uninsured. But even if we are approved, we have to have 17% of the cost of rebuilding or credit to get it, prior to receiving any of the funding. Even then they only pay out 50% of what your are approved for, and you get the rest on a reimbursement basis.

My husband is retired, I work for a non profit organization. We do not have the required Funds. Raising 6 kids on a single income has left us with debts and bad credit. That is why we are asking for your help. Any thing you can do will be greatly appreciated. If we do not get approved for the funding to rebuild, your donation will be returned to you.

We love our small community and want to return to it, We want to rebuild, smaller, a three bedroom place, as most the children have moved out of the NWT. but would like to have a couple of rooms to accommodate them should they or the grandchildren come to visit. We need a home, Please help.