Residents of Langdon, Chestermere and Conrich who saw damage to their property as a result of the heavy rain and flooding in July 2015 will benefit from Provincial disaster assistance.
Nearly 300 homes in the area were damaged after an intense storm on July 12, as well as municipal infrastructure including parks and drainage systems.
“It was kind of the perfect storm,” said Randy Smith, manager of fire services and director of emergency management with Rocky View County (RVC). “Water just couldn’t be pumped out quickly enough and it overflowed into the streets. There was so much water in such a short period of time, and the system wasn’t designed to handle it.”
Both RVC and the City of Chestermere applied to the Province’s Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) for support, and according to a press release issued on Dec. 18, approximately $9 million will be allocated to assist eligible applicants with repairs to property that are not covered by insurance.
“It’s a process, and there are lots of forms to fill out,” Smith said. “Each claim will be assessed on the information that is provided, but there is only so much money available. This is not insurance – this is assistance to get people back on their feet again, to cover basic, essential things.”
Residents can attend temporary registration centres where Municipal Affairs staff will provide assistance with DRP applications. The centre will be open on Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Boulder Creek Golf Course in Langdon, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 and 16 at the Chestermere Recreation Centre.
Applicants should bring government-issued identification, a letter from their insurance company indicating any insurance coverage, a list of damaged and/or replaced items, a record of time spent cleaning up, pictures of damaged and discarded property both interior and exterior, and receipts for cleanup, repairs, or replacement of damaged items.
“There is no set funding put aside by the provincial government every year for disasters – it’s really on a case-by-case basis,” Smith said. “It was a natural disaster we had in our area, and I think especially now with the economy the way it is, (the Province) recognized this was a hardship on residents in the area and this will help people who, in a downturned economy, might not be able to fix up the damages to their house.”
The application deadline is March 16. Further information can be found at aema.alberta.ca/disaster-recovery-programs
