It's been a long and arduous process climbing back to higher ground since the Canada Day flood struck Yorkton and many other parts of the province but with much community and government support, slowly we are putting the past behind.
To date, PDAP (the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program) has received more than 3,400 claims from across Saskatchewan for a staggering estimated cost of $7.1 million. With winter quickly closing in, the province has announced changes to the current program which should speed things up for those still waiting for assistance.
The first change is the hiring of new structural engineers to assess damaged buildings. Four new engineering firms have been hired, bringing the total number of firms to six.
"The number of dwellings that require a structural engineer to do an inspection is over 100, so it takes some time with a limited number. Responding to the needs of the people as quick and as efficiently as we can, we've hired more structural engineering firms," says Corrections, Public Safety and Policing Minister D.F. (Yogi) Huyghebaert. In Yorkton there are still an estimated 46 homes and businesses that require an inspection. A fast track on furnace and hot water tank claims has also been implemented and the depreciation of building materials has been reassessed.
"We are being flexible with this program also, because we know there are some people who may have financial difficulties with replacing a furnace, so we're looking at other ways. It's a work in progress, it's movable, it's flexible," Huyghebaert says.
It's a learning curve and for those cleaning up in the aftermath it hasn't been pleasant, but there's light at the end of the tunnel and it's getting brighter.
