Rainstorm flooding creates potential for provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program – affected residents encouraged to submit application
The City of Steinbach has received calls from some affected property owners regarding flooding in residential areas after the rainstorm on July 25th. The City has since been contacted by the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization (MBEMO) that, although a Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program has not been established for this particular event, affected residents can still submit applications to MBEMO for consideration should a DFA program be established.
Mayor Chris Goertzen said, “With such a significant rainfall as our city received on Wednesday morning, there have been some residents that had water enter their basements. It is important for Manitoba EMO to be aware of these incidents as they determine if a Disaster Financial Assistance program should be set up for this incident. I would encourage all citizens who experienced flooding as a result of the storm to submit an application through the link on the City’s website.”
Once MBEMO receives the claims and assesses the damages incurred, they determine whether or not a DFA program will be offered. If developed, the DFA program would apply to private sector only, including primary homes, small businesses, and farms, and would pertain to instances of overland flooding only.
“Although there is currently no Disaster Financial Assistance program set up for this incident, the submission of reports by residents affected by the storm will help determine the need for such a program,” said Denis Vassart, Steinbach’s Emergency Planning Coordinator. “Affected residents should submit their application within the next few weeks and follow the recovery process steps on the MBEMO website closely. Any photos or videos that residents have gathered should be submitted with their application as they can help MBEMO assess the damage caused by the storm.”
Although at this time there is no way to know for certain whether or not a DFA program will be established, affected residents are encouraged to fill out the application online at www.gov.mb.ca/emo/home/dfa/#application or print out the form and mail it to the MBEMO Office (address is at the bottom of the form) by end of August.
More information on Disaster Recovery is available on MBEMO’s website at www.gov.mb.ca/emo/home/recover.
