Alberta government to spend $68 million on spring flooding recovery

The Alberta government will be allocating up to $68 million as disaster recovery funding to help residents and communities shoulder the financial burden from this spring’s floods. “This funding will help cover uninsurable costs incurred during the floods, including damage to homes, businesses, public infrastructure, emergency operations costs, and cleanup methods,” said Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis at a Wednesday press conference. “The amount of financial assistance will vary by community depending on their response and recovery costs, and funding will help cover non-insurable costs incurred during the floods, including damages to homes and businesses and public infrastructure, emergency operations costs, and cleanup methods.” With the cost share, Ellis said applicants will cover 10% of the costs, and the Alberta government will fund 90%. For homeowners, he said the funding is capped at $500,000 per applicant. The Alberta government will review applications on a case-by-case basis to provide affected people and communities with the support and assistance they need. He encouraged people to fill out applications before they close on February 26. More information is available on the Alberta government’s website. While the road to recovery might be challenging, he said the support and resilience shown by residents is inspiring. Since the Alberta government is allocating financial support, he said it “reflects our dedication to supporting the people of Edson, Whitecourt, Yellowhead County, and Woodlands County during their times of need.” He thanked the volunteers and first responders who contributed to keeping Albertans and their communities safe this hazard season. Ellis concluded by saying people should be proud of first responders’ collective efforts and their resilience during the adversity. He expressed gratitude to their heroism during these crises. Alberta United Conservative Party MLA Martin Long (West Yellowhead) said his riding’s residents have endured plenty of challenges from forest fires and heavy flooding this past year. “We’ve experienced adversity unlike anything I’ve seen in my time living there,” said Long. “It’s been a challenging time for the communities in my riding, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the resilience and the strength my constituents have shown in the face of these challenges.” While the past summer made life tougher for many of Long’s constituents, he said he is “proud to share the Alberta government is stepping up to the plate to relieve some of the financial burdens and make life a little easier for those affected by the floods.” He added this funding is a significant move to provide the support communities need to recover in the aftermath. Whitecourt Mayor Tom Pickard said his community had a difficult time this past summer. “We had significant fire smoke issues early in the area and then in mid-June, the McLeod River and the Athabasca River basins received the most rain we’ve seen in many, many years,” said Pickard. “And our community and our region suffered significant damage.” Pickard admitted many public and private properties had damage done to them. While the damage was significant, he said he appreciates the Alberta government assisting Whitecourt in making life better for its communities and working on fixing them. Ellis followed up by saying politicians should not rest on their laurels when managing emergencies. “We have to say what could we have done better and what could we have learned from the things that did not go perfectly,” he said. “Right now, I’m waiting on an after action report from Stephen Lacroix.” He said he is always looking to improve. One area he wants to work on is having consistency across Alberta. Buildings constructed on flood plains are responsible for increased damages caused by extreme weather, according to an August report conducted by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS). READ MORE: Federal panel suggested gov’t withhold disaster aid for homes on flood plainsThe CMOS proposed Parliament refuse to provide disaster aid to municipalities that permit construction projects near waterfronts.“Flooding is the source of Canada’s most common and costly disasters,” said the CMOS.

Alberta government to spend $68 million on spring flooding recovery

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