North Battleford has voted in favor of applying for disaster assistance under the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program.
The application Is in response to the rainfall event on July 7-8. According to mayor Ryan Bater, an estimated five and a half to six and a half inches of rain fell in North Battleford, having a “substantial impact” on properties including commercial and institutional.
The reason the special meeting was called was so the city could have its application in with the Ministry of Government Relations as quickly as possible to request designation as an eligible assistance area under the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program.
The special meeting was itself hastily called due to the time sensitivity of the application. There was less than 24 hours notice given, and council voted to waive that notice requirement to allow the meeting to proceed at 1:15 p.m. Thursday.
Residents will be able to apply for PDAP after the City has its application approved.
Fire chief Lindsay Holm said they will have some measures in place so residents can make application for PDAP funding. Once it is approved, there will be a number to allow people to call and make their claim, and also a website link for them to fill out those forms.
The city is also going to open up its Emergency Operations Centre so that the city can try and track as much of the damage to residents’ homes as possible, “so we have a good understanding of what kind of infrastructure damage has happened due to the storm,” said Holm. He noted a number of city facilities had damage as well.
Right now residents can call the city’s main line at 306-445-1700 and they are facilitating tracking and data entry through their new tracking system in place. He added that residents should also contact their insurance companies so that they are aware of damage and for a claim to be made.
City manager Randy Patrick described the PDAP funding as “basically an insurance claim of last resort” and that there is an assumption people did what they needed to do as far as getting insurance.
Holm could not provide a precise timeline for when a decision on the PDAP request would be made. But Holm indicated he believes the city’s application would be acted upon quickly, just because the province is aware of the amount of rainfall that the city experienced.
In a news release Thursday the City of North Battleford stated it will "provide an update to residents on www.cityofnb.ca if the City is approved for PDAP." Residents are being reminded to: contact your insurance provider for coverage, to keep detailed records of damage, work completed – receipts and photos, and that PDAP is not a substitute for private insurance. The city also states that PDAP does not provide full compensation for losses.
