Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Residents of the Town of Kindersley with uninsurable losses from a severe storm early in July could now apply for funding assistance from a provincial program.
Red Cross flood kits are still available at the Town of Kindersley office.
Town officials applied to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) after a severe storm on July 10 caused widespread damage in the community. A thunder storm with a suspected plough wind damaged property belonging to the municipality and private citizens.
Chanell Brick, the outgoing deputy co-ordinator for the town’s emergency measures organization, said local officials received news of the successful PDAP application on July 19. People have to start a claim with their insurers before they apply to receive funding through the program.
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She noted that people need to determine their uninsurable losses because PDAP does not cover damages covered by insurance. After people know if they have uninsurable losses, they could fill out an application for funding assistance.
“We do have applications here at the Town of Kindersley office,” Brick said, recognizing that people have to submit their PDAP applications to program officials within six months from the date of the incident in July.
There are different applications for people who have been affected by flooding and people who have been affected by the plough wind, she explained. If people have been affected by the flooding and plow wind, they must fill out both applications.
Residents are responsible for getting their own applications to program officials. Brick said the town does not administer the program or facilitate applications after they are filled out. The program covers uninsurable losses, cleanup, repairs and temporary relocation.
People could qualify for up to $240,000 in assistance if the uninsurable losses qualify. For possessions including lost furniture, the program covers items to a pre-disaster condition. The program only covers a portion of the total loss.
Eleven other urban municipalities and 13 rural municipalities have been designated for PDAP assistance in 2018. The program applies to natural disasters including floods, tornadoes and plow winds among others, according to information at www.saskatchewan.ca.
Brick said labour costs are included in the clean up. People could log the hours that they spend cleaning up their basements or yards, and they could receive compensation for any time they spent cleaning up storm debris.
There are still flood kits at the town office and residents dealing with flood damage could get a kit. Brick said people could call the toll free number 1-800-632-4033 for information about the program or to find out whether or not their uninsurable losses will qualify for assistance.
If people are on the fence about filling out an application, they could contact PDAP officials to get a better idea of the requirements. There is more information on the Government of Saskatchewan and Town of Kindersley websites. People are asking about it.
“We have gotten several inquiries about it from residents here in the community that were affected by the storm,” she added, recognizing that the assistance only applies to
people who reside within the town’s municipal boundaries.
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