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Saskatoon considering PDAP claim after Tuesday’s severe storm

Click to play video: 'Dealing with flooding in older Saskatoon neighbourhoods'
Dealing with flooding in older Saskatoon neighbourhoods
WATCH ABOVE: Galen Heinrichs, Saskatoon’s water and sewer engineering manager, explains how the city deals with flooding and measures the city is considering to alleviate the possibility of future flooding – Aug 10, 2017

City officials said Tuesday’s severe storm in Saskatoon was between a one-in-two, and one-in-five year event.

The storm battered parts of the city and knocked out power in Avalon, Nutana, Adelaide/Churchill and Holliston.

READ MORE: Flash flooding in Saskatoon as storm hits city

These areas experienced localized flooding, washed out roads, and downed trees.

Officials said at least 25 millimeters fell in the southeast and between 1 to 3 millimeters in the northwest.

However, Environment Canada reported that up to 57 millimeters fell in Nutana.

It’s the second time in less than a month the city has been hit strong enough to overpower the storm sewer system.

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“This is the second time in less than a month that we have been hit with a system so intense that our storm sewer system simply can’t keep up,” Galen Heinrichs, the city’s water and sewer engineering manager, said.

“The systems in older neighbourhoods are not designed to take on so much water within a very short period of time.”

The city plans on bringing forward a business plan this month to city council on how to improve storm water infrastructure and remediation.

Heinrichs added that the city is looking at the potential of making a claim to the province for disaster relief assistance.

“The city is potentially trying to make a PDAP claim which is the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program,” Heinrichs said.

“We encourage people to report flooding due to water coming in their house from the street to report to the city. It will strengthen our case to the province and of course the home owner can benefit from that as well.”

READ MORE: Saskatoon looks to apply for disaster relief from July storm

The minimum criteria is one claim of $5,000 or several smaller claims totaling at least $25,000.

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The city also applied for PDAP relief from the July 10 storm.

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