The Manitoba government will make disaster financial assistance (DFA) available for eligible municipalities, homeowners, farms and small businesses impacted by severe weather in October 2019.
“When a widespread natural disaster strikes and creates an unreasonable financial burden, DFA may be made available to help individuals and local authorities recover,” said Premier Brian Pallister. “The fall storm resulted in widespread damage, and the DFA program will help cover the costs of response and recovery from the overall weather event.”
When a natural disaster occurs, the province may declare the event eligible for DFA. The Manitoba Emergency Measures Act allows the provincial government to provide financial assistance if the event meets the criteria outlined in the act.
Disaster financial assistance is generally available as a last resort for evacuations, municipal response costs, repairs to damaged infrastructure and non-insurable damage to principal residences and buildings essential to the operation of eligible farms and small businesses. Home and business owners affected by the fall severe weather are encouraged to seek assistance first through private insurance claims, and to carefully check insurance coverage to ensure they are protected against potential risks in their area.
The federal government may provide financial assistance to provincial and territorial governments through Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements following large-scale natural disasters. The premier noted the province is confident the impacts of the fall 2019 storm will be eligible for federal funding.
Applications and further details are available online at manitobaemo.ca or by calling the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization at 204-945-3050 or (toll-free) 1-888-267-8298. Applications are also available at most municipal offices.
The storm also created the need to use the Red River Floodway for the first time ever in the fall. The province previously announced a compensation program related specifically to the floodway.
