Premier Dennis Fentie spent much of today surveying the damage in the Southern Lakes region.

Today's tour, which was to include Lake Laberge, was in conjunction with visits by other government officials.

It may lead the cabinet to approach Ottawa for financial assistance if it's determined the region qualifies as a disaster area, Fentie told Whitehorse reporters by phone from Anchorage on Wednesday afternoon.

'The trip will be in conjunction with officials, the RCMP and others. I want to say at this juncture, how much we appreciate the efforts of so many people as we deal with what is a major challenge for us, given the extremely high water levels that we are facing this year,' Fentie said.

'If it appears that we qualify for the declaration of a disaster area, then that's something that we will look to at that juncture. Before we have contact with Ottawa, we have to do exactly what I'm going to embark on (this) morning.

'We have to make sure that we get all of our information in place so that if a case has to be made, we are ready, and prepare to make that case (to Ottawa).

'Tomorrow is much about looking into those things that area required and to try to get an insight into the depth of what we're dealing with,' the premier said.

Fentie said he would have visited the region earlier but had to attend the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Summit in Alaska. At the gathering, government and industry leaders discussed several topics, including energy, border issues, trade and climate change.

'Possibly what we're dealing with here has connections to climate change and discussions at PNWER as one of the main topic items is dealing with climate change,' he said.

Fentie said members of his government will also discuss the future of affected regions to determine what longer-term choices are available to combat future floods, 'including what options we have discussing matters with engineers, for example, on longer-term mitigating options that could be available to us.'

The Southern Lakes region has been the focus of intense sandbagging efforts during the past few weeks as water levels in the region have surpassed their record 1981 highs.

Some residents in the Marsh Lake area have already fled their homes with their valuables and headed to higher ground. The government has advised others to leave now before roads many already partly water-covered become impassable.

Bryce Larke, the territory's medical officer of health, has issued a boil water advisory for the region, warning residents that private water supplies may be unfit for human consumption.

Sandbagging efforts continue in Southern Lakes communities, the Whitehorse Correctional Centre and at the Department of Highways and Public Works' yard on Quartz Road.