Following massive flooding in large parts of British Columbia in November 2021, the county is set to make significant changes to ensure that people, communities and businesses can access and receive increased benefits from the Disaster Relief Program. of BC. Attorney General for Public Safety and Attorney General Mike Farnworth believes the catastrophic flood has highlighted the limitations of the current disaster relief program, saying the changes are more urgent than ever. “These changes will help ensure that the people, the first nations and the local governments affected by severe floods will not incur insurmountable costs and will improve the program so that we can respond more quickly next time and provide more support to them.” affected, “Farnworth said. Disaster financial assistance has been put in place to help people recover from catastrophic emergencies such as last November. Provides compensation for basic uninsured damages for eligible disasters. The changes will make more operators, rental owners and small businesses eligible for Disaster Financial Assistance, making adjustments to the eligibility criteria. From April 28 to July 27, the province will reopen applications for the program to give businesses a fair opportunity to apply for assistance under the new requirements. Changes to the program include:
Increase provincial contributions to local infrastructure recovery Advance cash flow to communities in the province Extension of eligibility based on minimum income Increase maximum annual revenue for small businesses Eligibility for company-owned properties
Emergency Management BC has received more than 2,200 applications from individuals, small businesses, farms, charities and local governments affected by last year’s floods.
More than $ 5.3 million has been paid to applicants so far. The November floods cost about $ 450 million in insured damages.
