Second round of flood aid reaches Stoney Nakoda Nation
MELODY HOLLOWAY
MORLEY — Perry Two youngmen has had a rough few weeks.
During last month’s flood, his family was gathering belongings and trying to move out of their house as they watched the water rise.
“Then the heavy rain came and started flooding. Lost all my stuff,” Twoyoungmen said.
Since then, he’s lived in a tent with his young family.
“We need a house,” said Nita Lightning, Twoyoungmen’s wife. “I hope we get some help, a little help anyway.”
Twoyoungmen and Lightning were just two of the hundreds of Stoney Nakoda Nation members lining up for the second round of flood assistance payments on Tuesday.
No one from the province was able to give exact numbers on how many houses were damaged by the flooding.
Unofficial sources estimate that nearly 500 houses need repair.
Just over a week ago the first round of debit cards, worth $1,250 for adults and $500 for children, were offered at the Morley Recreation Centre.
Flood assistance payments are being issued to those who received an evacuation order and were unable to return to their residence for a minimum of seven days.
Aboriginal Relations joined the Ministry of Human Services in helping with flood relief efforts Tuesday in Morley.
The Ministry of Human Services has controlled the debit card distribution since the program first began.
“We did work closely with the chiefs and the bands to have a process that works for them,” said Zoe Campbell, a spokeswoman for the human resources ministry.
Campbell’s colleagues in the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations managed much of Tuesday’s events because they have experience working with First Nations.
“Aboriginal Relations have the relationships with the First Nations and where there’s expertise, you make use of that,” she said.
It was estimated over 150 people would receive the debit cards by the end of the day Tuesday.
Roughly 300 others were there to speak with Municipal Affairs officials about the disaster recovery program, which provides money to
I don’t know where to start. I don’t know who to call.
residents who suffered uninsurable losses.
Melody Holloway was one of the people hoping to speak with someone about her house. It was condemned days after the flood struck.
“They told us to write down what was in our house, what got damaged,” she said.
Holloway received her $1,250 during the first round of distributions. She waited in line for five hours to get it.
Before Tuesday, she was having trouble finding information on what her next steps should be.
The province distributes much of its information over the Internet, which has become more difficult to access for many following the flood.
“Most of the time, everybody doesn’t really know anything until they come here,” Holloway said.
“It’s been really hard because I don’t know where to start. I don’t know who to call.”
This isn’t the first time Holloway’s had to deal with hang-ups before getting assistance. Before June 20, her house was already filled with mould, a remnant from flooding in 2005.
Holloway doesn’t go back to her house much post-flood, but her sister-in-law, Marci Beaver, keeps an eye on it.
Beaver’s house is just next door to Holloway’s. It, too, is no longer habitable, so she’s camping out front in a tent.
Twoyoungmen, like Beaver, is eager to secure proper shelter for his children soon. In the meantime, he was waiting in line to receive $1,250 from the provincial government.
“First thing is my kids, to get a roof over their heads. That’s my first priority and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.