About 3,500 residents have been ordered to evacuate a town in the Northwest Territories as volatile water levels never before experienced in some areas cause extensive flooding and damage.

People in Hay River, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake just north of the Alberta-N. W. T. boundary were told late Wednesday to get to higher ground, travel to Yellowknife or register at the town鈥檚 community centre.

鈥淪ome had very little warning and had to react quickly to stay safe, while leaving their home, their possessions and, for some, their business to endure the water and ice,鈥� Premier Caroline Cochrane and Municipal Affairs Minister Shane Thompson said in a statement Thursday.

鈥淔or the past several months, N.W.T. residents and communities have been working hard to prepare for potential flooding this spring. This week, for some, their worst fears were realized as (ice) breakup began and waters started to rise and continued to rise to never-before-seen levels in some areas.鈥�

The town has been monitoring the Hay River, recently swollen by rain and snowmelt. An alert on the community鈥檚 website said another push and release of ice had caused the water to rise even higher.

A statement from the territory鈥檚 daily update said the water level increased 1.7 metres over the last few days.

鈥淲ater levels are extremely volatile right now and impacted by ice in the channel. Rapid changes in water levels are possible,鈥� the update said. 鈥淭his shift in ice caused water levels to increase rapidly through the Town of Hay River and K鈥檃tl鈥檕deeche First Nation.鈥�

The government said it will continue to work with communities, even when the water recedes, to focus on recovery, Cochrane said.

鈥淯ntil that time, please continue to follow the advice and recommendation of your leaders and emergency responders. The safety of residents is their top priority.

Hay River is known as the 鈥淗ub of the North鈥� because it is an important transportation and communications centre. It is the staging point for the shipment of goods further into the territory and heart of the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery.

鈥擳he Canadian Press