Over 4,000 Manitoba First Nations residents are beginning to see compensation from the federal and provincial governments after being evacuated eight years ago.

Residents of the Lake St. Martin, Little Saskatchewan, Dauphin River, and Pinaymootang First Nations were forced to leave their homes during the 2011 flood. They and 3,000 community members living off-reserve were eligible for compensation after winning a $90 million class-action lawsuit against the federal government.

Sabrina Lombardi, a lawyer representing some evacuees, confirmed compensation cheques were mailed beginning last week.

Of the 7,000 people eligible, only 70 percent successfully applied.

Evacuees receiving compensation fall into three categories: Those disrupted for more than three years, those disrupted less than three years, and those living outside of the community during the flood but were disrupted from accessing the community after the fact.

Another category of “special circumstances” applicants which account for 7.5% of claimants who incurred extraordinary health care costs or job loss, will have to continue to wait until that process is completed.

The amount of compensation being received by each evacuee has not been disclosed.

Hundreds of people were never able to return home, those who did had to wait several years to do so. Reconstruction is ongoing in the communities affected. The money is solely meant to compensate people for the personal impact of the flood, not on rebuilding the community.

Almost 100 people from Lake St. Martin died over the past six years due to illness that some say was associated with the stress of the evacuation.

CKDM reached out to a spokesperson for the Pinaymootang First Nation who declined to provide a comment.