The British Columbia government has opened applications for disaster financial assistance to people affected by destructive flooding during October’s atmospheric river in the Lower Mainland.
The Oct. 18-20 storms led to intense flash flooding on the North Shore and in the Tri-Cities, displacing people from homes in Deep Cove and causing two deaths in Metro Vancouver and two more on Vancouver Island.
On Monday, newly appointed Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene said financial supports will be available to affected people in Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and the Squamish First Nation.
“It was definitely impactful to many communities, with damage to principal residences and debris, so we want to make sure people have access for uninsurable losses through (disaster financial assistance), but they should also be contacting their insurance providers to get more information for next steps,” she said.
The financial assistance applies to homeowners, renters, business owners, farmers, corporation-owned properties and charitable organizations to cover uninsurable disaster-related losses.
Affected people can submit claims up to a maximum of $400,000.
The ministry said the financial help is not available to compensate for losses where insurance was “reasonably and readily available.”
Applications will be accepted for 90 days from Monday, with the final day to apply on Feb. 23, 2025.