Homeowners who suffered significant property damage in June’s flooding are being provided options by the Alberta government to assist in their decision to rebuild their homes in known floodways or to relocate to a new area
“We want to give Albertans with flood-damaged homes the information they need to make choices to get their lives back on track. We also want to ensure we’re spending responsibly and doing everything we can to prevent flood damage like this from happening again,” says Doug Griffiths, Chair of the Ministerial Flood Recovery Task Force.
No matter what a homeowner decides, the government will continue to provide funding through the Disaster Recovery Program.
- If the owner chooses to stay in a flood risk area, funding will be available for the rebuilding of the structure, as well as for building berms, raising the home, or other water control measures. Owners who stay will not be eligible for Disaster Recovery Program funding if they suffer future flood damage.
- If a homeowner chooses to leave the flood risk area, the vacated land will be used for flood mitigation infrastructure or for the creation of parks and other recreational areas.
- Owners of homes in flood fringe areas which require major repairs will be eligible for additional funds to ensure their homes are adequately protected should another ‘one in every one hundred years’ flood occur.
Flood fringe area residents who do not implement mitigation measures will not be eligible for Disaster Recovery Program should the area experience future flooding.
“No eligible homeowner with flood damage will go without financial support; but when we’re using Albertans’ tax dollars, we need to empower those receiving funds to make responsible choices. That’s what Albertans expect,” says Griffiths.
A map designating Alberta's flood risk zones is available at Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development - Flood Hazard Map Application.
