The Town of Battleford hopes residents will benefit from the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program following the July 7 and 8 rainstorms. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Water Woes

Town seeks eligibility status for Provincial Disaster Assistance Program following storms

Jul 13, 2020 | 4:19 PM

Similar to North Battleford, the Town of Battleford is now taking the plunge and applying to be an eligible area for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP).

Council approved a resolution Monday for the town to formally submit its request for consideration to the province.

During the meeting it was reported 155 mm of rain fell in the Battlefords during July 7 and 8, causing flooding damages to the community.

Deputy CAO David Gillan said the town is aware some people’s basements were flooded. There may also be some municipal buildings potentially affected as well.

He said hopefully the program can offer some assistance for those who need it.

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Mayor Ames Leslie said about a half dozen residents contacted the town about damages from the severe weather.

“We have had a few residents call or email and say they have been affected by that large volume of rain,” Leslie said. “In speaking within the Ministry of Government Relations, they recommended we have a case to apply for the PDAP. So we can open it up for those residents. Also, it gives the town some time [to apply].”

If the town’s designation status is approved by the province, town property owners will have an opportunity to apply directly to PDAP for financial assistance for any damages incurred, not already covered by their own insurance provider.

The town is still assessing its own facilities to determine whether there were any damages from the rainfall.

“Like we said, as we dig in deeper, there may have been some damage that is not visible at the moment,” Leslie said. “Hopefully not, but if it is, this will help us go down the path of getting back to being normal, before the rainfall.”

He said he expects more people needing assistance will come forward now that the town has applied for the assistance program.

Leslie said first and foremost people should document and take photos of all the damages they incurred from the storms for a record. They should provide these details to their regular insurance provider for their house insurance coverage.

Next, they can apply for PDAP as a last resort.

“This is supplementary,” Leslie said. “This is not the only [option]. They need to go to their own insurance company first and seek compensation from their home insurance first. This [PDAP] is just a back-up means if they get rejected or they do not have insurance. This is just one more step to help people out in an unfortunate situation.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow