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M.D. to receive sizable flood damage payout

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Taber Times

By J.W. Schnarr
Taber Times
jwschnarr@tabertimes.com

Help is on the way for some local residents impacted by flooding earlier this year, but details are still being ironed out by Municipal District of Taber administration.

At the end of October, the provincial government earmarked $30.7 million to help pay for damages from overland flooding which occurred between June 16 and 23.

As well, the government is providing $700,000 to the M.D. “due to their close proximity to the flooding and similar damage.”

Municipal Administrator Derrick Krizsan said the news was welcomed by the M.D. though he admitted there were still details to iron out.

“We’re still trying to figure out the details,” said Krizsan. “We haven’t been provided anything from Alberta Municipal Affairs. We’ve made a few inquiries but have yet to receive any information.”

Reeve Brian Brewin also said the news was good for the M.D. and its residents.

“We appreciate the province for recognizing the M.D. of Taber was part of the flooding issue,” said Brewin.

“It goes back to when we had to declare a state of emergency with some overland flooding and the possibility of flooding out some houses.”

The money will go to help pay for specific types of damages, both on property belonging to the M.D. and to landowners in the area who experienced damages from the flooding.

“I believe the program is still based on compensating companies and individuals for uninsurable losses, which is different than uninsured losses,” Krizsan said. “Unfortunately, in this part of the world, overland flooding insurance is impossible to come by, so typically adjusters for the disaster recovery programs evaluate each of the applications that come in individually and whether or not the losses can be included in the program.”

Krizsan said municipalities make the application to Alberta Emergency Management Agency when events such as overland flooding occur. The committee meets and designates an area as being included within the Disaster Recovery Program. Municipalities then facilitate the distribution of the applications and claim documents that landowners can fill out and submit to the province.

“One of the things we’re still trying to clarify are the dates we were approved for during that period,” he said. “As well as waiting for the appropriate documentation to distribute to landowners who have been affected.”

“We’re still waiting on a few details, but the announcement was very positive,” said Krizsan. “Certainly the municipality has suffered some losses. We’ve had some roads washed out and a few other issues. But I’m sure there will be some landowners who can take advantage of this.”

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