The Government of Prince Edward Island has announced a $200,000 financial assistance program to expedite payments to victims of the recent flood.
Wes MacAleer, Minister of Community Services and Attorney General with responsibility for the Emergency Measures Organization, noted that the government's first priority is to meet the needs of Islanders most affected by the flood. "Rather than waiting for federal funding, we are taking the initiative to commit $200,000 to help Islanders right now. Special emphasis will be placed on issuing payments to those who urgently require them," said Minister MacAleer.
Minister MacAleer stresses that the provincial fund is a first response to alleviate hardships resulting from damages to homes and businesses, and that further assistance may be available upon completion of the damage assessments. "Although some callers to our hotline and our officials have indicated that it may take months to assess the full extent of the damages to dwellings, businesses and infrastructure, our emphasis is on issuing cheques as soon as possible, after individual damage assessments are verified," he said.
To expedite the claims process, the Minister confirmed that the Department of Community Services and Attorney General and the Risk Management Insurance section of Provincial Treasury have finalized a plan. "We have identified insurance adjustors in the private sector to provide objective, third party assessments of damages. Starting this Thursday, these adjustors will begin to meet with callers who contacted the Emergency Measures Organization's toll-free telephone number. The adjustors will visit homes and businesses to thoroughly inspect damages and validate all claims," says Minister MacAleer. The Minister stresses that to maintain the public's confidence in the claims process, the government felt it was critical to have independent assessments completed.
"When we have information back from the independent adjustors indicating what homeowners' and business owners' short-term needs are, we will issue cheques shortly thereafter," says Minister MacAleer. He stated that independent adjustors would begin their damage assessments on February 3 and complete their inspections as soon as possible. "We reiterate to flood victims the importance of consulting with their insurance companies, documenting their damage with photos or videotape, and contacting the province's Emergency Measures Organization to file an initial report of damages."
When the independent adjustors' assessments of damages to homes and businesses are completed, the claims will be assessed with the view to issuing cheques as soon as possible. Under the terms of the federal Disaster Assistance program, it was imperative for the province to commit the $200,000, even though only preliminary damage assessments have been completed. "By committing $200,000 now, we are enabling the province to qualify for compensation from the federal Disaster Assistance program. In the case of the January flood, the province feels the responsible thing to do is to create the $200,000 fund, assess the damages, issue cheques ASAP and proceed to complete the application for federal disaster assistance, after Islanders' urgent needs are addressed."
The Minister highlighted that numerous departments are working together to respond to flood victims' needs and that a number of steps continue to unfold in response to the tidal surge. The province is sending letters to all municipalities to identify infrastructure problems. The EMO is in communication with the Department of Fisheries and Tourism to assess damages to community-owned and federal wharf facilities. The Department of Transportation and Public Works continues its assessment of infrastructure damages, including wharfs, roadways and bridges. The Department of Community Services and Attorney General is supplying additional staff to the Risk Insurance section of Provincial Treasury to expedite the processing of claims. The Department of Development is working closely with waterfront development corporations to assess needs and is exchanging information with the EMO about the flood's impact on businesses.
Minister MacAleer adds, "The EMO is maintaining its toll-free number until February 29 and encourages Islanders who suffered flood damages to contact the EMO at 1-800-640-8651, during regular business hours 8:30 am to 5 pm."
To date, 79 calls reporting flood damage have been received by staff at the Emergency Measures Organization.