The next three days are an opportunity for anyone whose property was damaged in the flooding on August 2, 2016. Case workers from the Province of Alberta will be stationed at Grande Prairie City Hall to assess whether they are eligible for disaster relief funding.
Environment Canada recorded 9.2 millimetres of rain at the Grande Prairie Airport in just a few hours that day, causing widespread flooding across the city. Cars were found pooling in water, two operating rooms at the QEII Hospital had to be closed, and damage was reported to several buildings, including the Eastlink Centre, City Hall, the former Grande Prairie Public School administration building, and several homes and other businesses.
Legislative Services Manager Terri Williams says City Hall was approached in the days following by many people looking for insurance and compensation. The City applied for the province’s Disaster Recovery Program later that month.
“We wanted to make sure there was some type of option available for the residents and businesses. It was an extreme incident with the heavy rainfall, so we wanted to see what there was we could do.”
A disaster relief team visited the city in July 2017 to inspect some of the reports of damage, and Williams says the city got confirmation that $4.8 million in funding was approved within the last six weeks.
“It was very good news. There are quite a few residences, especially businesses, that were affected and sometimes insurance doesn’t cover some items such as this, a natural event, so we’re hoping that some of these people will be eligible for some type of funding to assist them.”
Applications will be taken in person at City Hall from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on January 11th and 12th and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 13th. Residents will need to bring government-issued photo ID, an insurance letter, and utility bills from 90 days before the flooding.
Property owners should bring their property tax assessment for 2016, and tenants should bring their lease for that time. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call 1-888-671-1111.
