Fort Mac flood victims can apply for aid funds
The province is launching a flood assistance program for Fort McMurray residents who saw their homes ravaged by heavy flooding in early June.
The government announced Saturday residents who suffered uninsurable property damage can apply for funding to cover repair costs starting July 2.
Although most of the funding provided by the province will go toward repairing public infrastructure damaged by the weeklong flood, the government said its priority is assisting individuals.
“Our first priority is getting help to the families and small businesses who experienced uninsurable losses caused by this disaster,” Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Don Scott said in a statement.
The funding is part of the $1-billion flood restoration plan put in place in the wake of the southern Alberta disaster. It is unknown exactly how much of the fund will go toward assisting Fort McMurray.
“While the amount of devastation in southern Alberta is unique and unprecedented, we understand there are residents affected by the earlier flooding in Fort McMurray,” said Tim Wilson, Municipal Affairs communications officer. “That’s why it was a priority to make sure they had a disaster-recovery program in place.”
Flooding on the Hangingstone River began June 10, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated from the Grayling Terrace, Draper Road and Waterways areas and causing significant damage to buildings, bridges and roads.
The Firebag River bridge collapsed about 100 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray, leaving dozens of campers stranded in the Richardson backcountry area on June 17.
Several roads, including highways 63 and 881, were closed because of flooding.
The state of local emergency was finally lifted on June 17, six days after it began.
The province and the Municipality of Wood Buffalo are still assessing the cost of damage. Affected residents are advised to contact their insurance companies and take photographs of damage to provide to evaluators. Applications can be picked up at the Wood Buffalo municipal office.