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VICTORIA
– Due to recent heavy rainfall
causing flooding in some areas in the Fraser Valley and South Western Vancouver
Island, the Province is approving Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA), Public
Safety Minister John van Dongen announced today.
“The unusually heavy rains combined with
snowmelt in the past few days have resulted in a number of flood incidents in
the Fraser Valley and South Western Vancouver Island, causing damage to some
homes and businesses,” van Dongen said. “At this point, we’ve decided to
approve Disaster Financial Assistance for these areas. Additional areas
considered eligible for coverage will be determined as needed.”
Currently the following areas are eligible for consideration for DFA:
Juan de Fuca electoral area, Sooke, Metchosin, Langford, Fraser Valley Regional
District, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Surrey.
To be eligible for
assistance, the damage must be from an uninsurable event such as overland
flooding. Snowload and wind damage are examples of insurable damage and
therefore not eligible for DFA assistance.
The DFA program
helps eligible homeowners, residential tenants, farms, small businesses and
charitable organizations when property is damaged by uninsurable disasters,
including certain floods and mudslides. For acceptable claims, the program
covers up to 80 per cent of the portion of a claim exceeding $1,000, to a
maximum of $300,000. Local governments are also eligible for DFA.
DFA claim forms and more information about
the program are available at www.pep.bc.ca
or by calling 1-888-257-4777.
While many communities affected by flooding move to
recovery efforts, the City of Chilliwack has declared a local state of
emergency, with the evacuation of approximately 75 homes.
“Our
first priority is to ensure residents are safe keep everyone away from these
flooded homes and communities so crews do their work,” said van Dongen.
“Provincial Emergency Program is working to assist the community to make sure
that residents can safely return to their homes as soon as possible.”
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contact: |
Provincial Emergency Program 250 952-4846 250 213-6340 cell |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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