For about three weeks in June and early July, the population of Norman Wells ballooned from just under 800 people to more than 1000 as the small Sahtu community welcomed a host of residents from nearby Fort Good Hope, which was evacuated due to wildfires.
The influx of people presented some challenges for the community, but residents banded together to make sure the new arrivals were comfortable while they were away from their homes.
Loretta Wiley, a respected volunteer in Norman Wells, played an integral role during those weeks.
"They started coming on June 15," she recounted after Fort Good Hope's evacuation order ended and the town's residents started returning home. "I live out of town at D.O.T. Lake, so when I heard there was an evacuation happening, I stayed back for a little bit and then reached out to see if there was anything that needed to be done."
Wiley quickly sprung into action, spearheading efforts to ensure that all of the evacuees were fed during their time in town.
She started by preparing a heap of traditional food for the new arrivals, but continued to coordinate meals at Mackenzie Mountain School, which became the meeting point for Fort Good Hopes' evacuees.
There were initially some concerns that there would not be enough food to go around, as Norman Wells did not receive a barge shipment this summer due to low water levels on the Mackenzie River. However, those worries were quickly assuaged by the managers of the Northern Store and Rampart Rentals, two local grocers.
Wiley and her fellow volunteers also coordinated a bulk order of food from Northern Food Services out of Yellowknife, which provided extra assurance that nobody would go hungry.
Norman Wells hamlet staff were also able to find beds for all of the evacuees from Fort Good Hope, putting people up at the local Heritage Inn, the community hall and at a camp in town.
With necessities like food and accommodations sorted out, the biggest remaining concern was keeping the evacuees informed about the situation back home. This was accomplished with daily fire briefings at the school.
"The fire updates were done [at the school]," said Wiley. "The meals were served there. I think it turned into the social gathering for the Fort Good Hope people.
"We tried to accommodate and make people feel comfortable there. We tried to accommodate the children, the Elders."
Fort Good Hope's evacuation order was lifted on July 6, at which point the residents staying in Norman Wells — and the hundreds of others staying in Yellowknife and other communities — began to head home.
The town got noticeably quieter once the evacuees departed, according to Wiley.
"The next morning [after everyone left], we went into the cleanup and it was very quiet," she said. "Everything seemed so normal.
"It almost seemed like it didn't actually happen."
Now that it's over, Wiley feels an immense sense of pride in her community for being so accommodating of the hastily-arriving guests.
"Looking back, every person was so helpful when things needed to get done," she said. "All you needed to do was make a phone call or text somebody on social media. Everybody stepped up.
"The Sahtu is one big family," she added. "And you know what, if Norman Wells ever had to be in this same situation, I'm sure Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Deline, would do the same [for us]."