Disaster Recovery Assistance Announced

The heavy rainfall events last July caused localized flood damage in Lacombe.

Disaster recovery financial assistance is now available for residents, small businesses, agricultural producers and municipalities in the Lacombe area who had uninsurable flood damage between July 26 and 27, 2011.

The Alberta government has allocated up to $1.5 million for this program using existing funding.

“After a disaster, recovering and rebuilding is never an easy task, but we hope the program will bring peace of mind and comfort to the people in this area,” said Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “In many cases, program eligibility is clear, but no two disasters are the same. That’s why we took another look at this rain event, the circumstances that led to flooding and approved the program in the best interest of residents.”

The new program was approved based on high soil saturation levels due to a severe rainfall earlier in the month. In order to qualify for the program, rain events must be a one in 25-year event; however, the rainstorm on July 26 - 27 fell on already saturated soil due to an extreme rain event on July 11, causing an extraordinary, widespread flooding event.

The Alberta government is working with the City of Lacombe and Lacombe County to coordinate a date and location for a registration centre where residents can apply and get more information on flood recovery. Information will be posted at www.aema.alberta.ca.

Affected residents, small business and agricultural operators should first contact their insurance company to obtain a letter that outlines their uninsurable damage. Any photographs of the damage should be provided to the evaluator. About 150 applications are expected for this program.