A state of emergency has been declared in Aklavik, N.W.T., after water started rising over the road that leads to the hamlet’s dump, according to a statement issued by its mayor and council overnight.

Residents will start being evacuated from their homes Sunday morning between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m local time, the statement said. 

The remote community of roughly 600 people has been on flood watch for about a week.

Mayor Andrew Charlie told CBC News on Saturday afternoon that once