Following the flooding across the region mid-March, Emergency Management BC (EMBC) has authorized disaster financial assistance (DFA) for those affected right across the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) including the City of Cranbrook, as a result of the damages.
Those who may qualify for this assistance include: home owners, residential tenants, small business owners, farmers, charitable organizations and local government bodies, who were unable to obtain insurance to cover these disaster-related losses.
All applicants should first check with their insurance agent to determine if their current insurance policy provides coverage for the resulting damage. As part of the DFA qualification process, the applicant’s insurer will be asked to provide a letter indicating that the applicant could not have purchased insurance to cover these disaster-related losses.
Information about Disaster Financial Assistance is available on the DFA web site at http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance. There you will find the DFA Application Form, ‘Disaster Financial Assistance Guidelines for Private Sector’, information bulletins about DFA and insurance and ‘One Step at a time – A Guide to Disaster Recovery’. Application forms are available through RDEK offices in both Cranbrook and the Columbia Valley as well. Cranbrook residents can pick up application forms and information fact sheets at Cranbrook City Hall or download them from the City’s website at www.cranbrook.ca.
Applications are encouraged to be submitted as soon as possible. The deadline for EMBC to receive this form is June 25, 2017. As applications are received in this office, EMBC will confirm eligibility and contracted evaluators will contact eligible applicants to explain the DFA program requirements and schedule an onsite visit.
It is vitally important for those who suffered flood damage and may not be insured to make application for this funding in order to ensure your home or property are properly dried out and repaired. The risk for black mold is extremely high and if it is allowed to take hold, it can quickly grow and can cause serious health issues.
The City of Cranbrook and the RDEK thank the Province for understanding the severity of this flooding and for stepping forward to help our residents and business owners deal with the clean-up and repairs.