Residents of the County of Lethbridge and the Town of Coaldale who were impacted by overland flooding have the rest of today, Tuesday to register with the disaster recovery program.
The province has announced over $200 million in funding to help citizens and municipalities recover from the recent flooding and severe weather.
“These storms had a devastating impact on residents, businesses and municipalities and this funding will help them rebuild their homes, businesses and communities,” said Premier Ed Stelmach in a news release last Tuesday.
“Evaluators will work as quickly as possible to get recovery money into residents’ hands.”
County Manager Dennis Shigematsu said residents across the county have been severely impacted by overland flooding in June.
“They are looking for some financial relief from the province.”
“We’re very pleased the province has announced the disaster recovery program.”
He said when the flooding began the county staff were manning the emergency lines and had over 80 calls.
“We know not everyone called in.”
He noted the program doesn’t cover agricultural loses. He said the county is still working to repair roads damaged by the flooding.
“We’re still tallying our infrastructure damage.”
Registration centres opened in some areas last week while others were slated for this week.
In Coaldale and Lethbridge the doors opened Monday and will remain open until tonight at 8 p.m.
In Coaldale the centre is set up at the community centre while in Lethbridge it is set up at city hall in the Culver Room.
Residents can attend any of the registration centres.
They must have one piece of photo identification, a letter from their insurance company indicating what damage is not covered and a detailed list of all property damaged or destroyed.
At this time photos or receipts are not necessary but will be needed later when the information is reviewed by an evaluator. Applications must be made in person but if someone is unable to attend they can call toll-free 1-888-671-1111 to have forms mailed out to them. Residents can also call that number for information.
The program covers damage from overland flooding and seepage but not sewage back up. It also doesn’t cover anything that is already covered by insurance. Anyone without insurance can apply and the evaluator will determine whether and how much they can be compensated.
For tenants, application can be made to cover the loss of personal belongs while landlords must apply for the loss of items not owned by the tenant such as floor coverings and damaged walls.