Residents impacted by flooding in New Brunswick this week are being encouraged to report their damage to the province.
It specifically applies to flooding as a result of heavy rains recorded from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 – which hit the Sussex area hard.
Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins MLA Tammy Scott-Wallace says the flooding is comparable to the disastrous deluge recorded in 2014.
“At that time it was classified as a one-in-100 years flood,” Scott-Wallace says, “and, sadly, six years later we had another.”
Schools were closed Wednesday as a result of the flooding, with many residents left wading through water to salvage their belongings.
Scott-Wallace says the repetitive flooding in the area has made it impossible for some residents to insure their homes.
“That would mean people are paying for their own losses,” she says.
She says government disaster financial assistance would help in those situations – but only if reported damage meets a threshold she thinks is close to $2.5 million total damage in the area.
Global News reached out to New Brunswick’s Department of Public Safety for clarity on that number but hasn’t received a response.
Higgs addressed the ongoing flooding at the provincial COVID-19 briefing on Thursday.
“Our provincial Emergency Measures Organization has been working closely with municipal EMOs to coordinate their response to this storm,” he said.
He stressed that the province doesn’t “have a complete picture yet” but that they are continuing to investigate.
“We do know that there’s been significant damage in the Sussex and Sussex Corner areas,” Higgs said.
The premier also encouraged residents to register any reports of damage caused by flooding, saying it would allow home owners to have a provincial health inspector check for possible long-term impacts.
Residents affected by flooding can report their damage by calling 1-888-298-8555 or through the service NB website.