New Brunswick launches emergency recovery program for non-insured flood losses

The Government of New Brunswick has launched a detailed recovery program for victims of recent flooding along the St. John River system.”This comprehensive program will help New Brunswickers recover from flood damage and return to their way of life as safely and as quickly as possible,” Premier Shawn Graham said, announcing the program for non-insured losses in a press conference. “The Government of New Brunswick is proud to work with its partners in the affected regions to begin the recovery process, and we will provide needed assistance, both material and financial, to help New Brunswickers who had to evacuate their homes.”As of May 5, New Brunswick’s department of public safety continued its major flood warning for areas south of Mactaquac, downstream of the City of Saint John.”Persons living or working along all streams, tributaries and rivers in the lower St. John River valley are asked to remain on alert, as we remain above flood stage in many areas,” New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization announced in a press release.The program allows residents to receive information and register their flood-related damage with a single telephone call. It will also put health and safety inspection teams into flood-affected areas beginning this week to allow residents to return to their homes more quickly.The program includes three elements:complementary assistance, including water and electrical testing to ensure safety;health and safety inspections, to assess damage and determine what repairs are required for residents to safely return to their homes; and disaster financial assistance, which will be available to cover the costs of repairs.Once approved for disaster financial assistance, an individual homeowner must pay for the first Cdn$1,000 worth of damage. The deductible is automatically waived for social services clients. Small businesses are subject to a deductible of Cdn$5,000.If a resident cannot pay the deductible amount, he or she may apply to the Minister of Public Safety, through the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, to have the amount waived.