Some supports extended for Merritt residents impacted by flooding

Photo: City of Merritt

Flooding in Merritt began on Nov. 14 when the Coldwater River began to spill its banks following an intense atmospheric river rain event.

Some disaster relief supports have been extended for Merritt residents who were impacted by November’s Coldwater flood.

In a virtual information session hosted by the City of Merritt on Thursday, representatives from Emergency Management B.C. and the Canadian Red Cross presented updates on their recovery assistance programs.

Rachael Oliver, senior manager for recovery at Canadian Red Cross, said the organization is extending housing and basic needs financial supports until March 31.

“We will be working with individuals to extend these supports for the commercial accommodations, billeting and food as appropriate for those who are eligible for those supports and are experiencing reasonable barriers to re-entry,” Oliver said.

“We do anticipate that this will alleviate some of the immediate challenges that a significant number of people are experiencing within their recovery, including being able to find interim housing solutions. We recognize this is not a long-term housing solution, but it does provide an opportunity for individuals and families some additional time.”

Mayor Linda Brown asked what might happen after March 31, as some residents will likely need help after this date.

“We know that residents are not going to be able to go back to their own home, a lot of them aren’t,” Brown said.

“This is probably going to have to be maintained, but nobody's being told that it can extend beyond March 31 if and when we need it. So we've got a community out there that is just aching to find out what do they do next.”

Sarah Howe, director for specialized recovery services at Canadian Red Cross, said no matter where the deadline is, it can be a stress point.

“It's really hard to commit to — or to ensure, I think you said — as to what happens after March 31. But we do commit to continuing to dialogue and continuing to work with you and continuing to hear the needs and do what we can, and also to continue to work with EMBC on that work,” Howe said.

Nadine Madson, a representative for Emergency Management BC, said everyone in the City of Merritt is eligible to apply for Disaster Financial Assistance, a provincial government program helping to compensate for damages where insurance isn’t available.

Madson said the application deadline for DFA has been extended to March 3, 2022, and she encouraged residents to get applications in to the province “as soon as possible.”

“Even if you're still waiting to hear back from insurance, if you're not sure whether insurance is going to cover 100 per cent of your damages, if it's going to cover some of your damages, if you're not sure, just get your applications into us,” Madson said.

“Once we get those in and we open a file for you, your file can be put on hold until you hear back from your insurance. So we want to make sure that everyone who needs DFA gets in before the application deadline.”

Linda Brick, manager at the Merritt Support Centre, said the resiliency centre — located at 102 - 1700 Garcia Street — can help residents with DFA application forms.

Brick said City of Merritt and Red Cross case workers are available to help residents, who can also be linked to to supports from other nonprofit organizations as well.

The resiliency centre is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.