Nine people who were adversely affected by the rain that swamped Estevan in early September went to a response centre operated by the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) at Estevan City Hall on Sept. 22 and 23.
Tamie Folwark, the program and customer service director for PDAP, said they had six people on the first day and three on the second.
“It gives us the chance to be able to talk to them, answer any questions they may have, and tell them what we can provide for them,” Folwark told the Mercury. “They were very grateful that we came out there to help them.”
Folwark said PDAP hoped more people would attend, as they thought they might have as many as 40 applicants. When the City of Estevan applied to be designated as an eligible assistance area through PDAP, the city had been informed by an insurance company that about 40 residents suffered flooding in their basements due to the storm, which dumped more than 5 1/2 inches of rain on the Estevan area in a 24-hour span on Sept. 5 and 6.
The insurance company wanted to know if the city would apply to PDAP on the residents’ behalf.
Folwark believes PDAP’s visit was still worthwhile despite the low attendance figure.
“We do like to come out to be able to answer any questions,” said Folwark.
Those who did visit the centre wanted to know what PDAP would cover. PDAP help with losses to uninsurable and essential property.
But they aren’t a substitution for insurance, she said.
“For example, if the claimant had sewer back-up, that would be an insurable loss, but we could cover general things like drywall, carpets and essential contents, if there was a bedroom downstairs,” said Folwark.
People who weren’t able to attend the session can still make an application to PDAP for assistance for up to six months following the day of the disaster. They can pick up an application from City Hall and send it in.
“The instructions on how to fill out the application are with the application,” said Folwark. “They have a copy of our guidelines, and people just mail it into us.”
They can also e-mail their completed forms to PDAP to accelerate the process.
PDAP would consider returning to Estevan if there is enough interest, she said.
Folwark expects the applications from Estevan should be handled quickly. The first nine have already been assigned an adjuster.
“The adjuster will come out, do an assessment, send his report back in, and then we have a process, it’s a straightforward claim … that’s called a fast-track claim,” said Folwark.
A fast track claim can be wrapped up in anywhere from two to six weeks. Claims that aren’t fast tracked, such as those that involve structural damage, could take longer, since they might require an adjuster and an engineer to assess the damage and safety risks.
