The City of Estevan will apply for support from the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) due to the heavy rains that drenched the city during the Labour Day weekend.
Estevan city council voted unanimously to apply for support during Monday night’s meet. The city received nearly 150 millimetres of rain on September 5. The downpour caused water damage to a number of residences in
the community.
City manager Amber Smale said they decided to apply for the PDAP support after the city was informed by an insurance company that about 40 residents suffered flooding in their basements.
The insurer wanted to know if the city would make an application on the residents’ behalf. Smale needed to know the number of people affected and the total damage costs before the city applied.
“They wouldn’t be covered by insurance,” Smale told the Mercury. “PDAP then kicks in and provides a little bit of assistance to those residents, so that’s why we chose to be designated as a disaster for that purpose, to get the public some funding they normally wouldn’t get.”
She expects the properties were spread out across the city, and not clustered in one area.
The city worked with PDAP to complete the necessary forms, which are due 30 days following the event. The city sent the requisite forms to PDAP on September 8.
Nobody can apply for assistance until the city receives the proper designation from PDAP. If PDAP approves the city’s application, the city will inform the public of the next step. PDAP would come to Estevan to meet with affected people and help them through the process.
Smale said she can’t think of any reason that PDAP would reject the city’s application.
“This is something the province will completely lead,” said Smale. “We’re just the middle man in this.”
PDAP provides financial assistance for restoring essential services and property due to such events as the heavy rains Estevan received.
A PDAP designation allows private property owners to apply for assistance under the program, should their home insurance not cover the damage incurred.
PDAP covers damage or loss to uninsurable, essential property. For homeowners, this may include such things as beds, essential furnishings and clothing, furnaces, water heaters, fridges, stoves and electronics. For business owners, eligible items may include stock and supplies, essential work clothing and other necessities.
The city never considered calling a state of emergency during the rain, Smale said. Those are reserved for very serious situations. While the storms brought a lot of rain to Estevan in a short amount of time, the water drained well once the rain stopped and the ground soaked up the water.
“It was a one-time rain event, a one-in-70 years rain event, but a state of emergency wasn’t necessary,” said Smale.
