This release was issued under a previous government.

The floods that began on June 20 impacted more than 100,000 Albertans in 30 communities. Since the flooding began:

  • Almost $175 million in preliminary disaster assistance has been provided to municipalities and First Nations to begin rebuilding.
  • Almost $70 million in immediate support was distributed as preloaded debit cards or cheques to more than 56,000 Albertans forced from their homes.
  • As of the November 30 deadline, more than 9,860 Albertans have applied for funding through the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP), including 1,380 small businesses. We expect these numbers to increase as applications postmarked November 30 will continue to be accepted.
  • More than 7,600 DRP applicants have had at least one on-site assessment.
  • DRP offices will continue to operate in order to assist applicants with questions and concerns.
  • Nearly 4,000 DRP payments have been issued to applicants totalling close to $25 million.
  • More than 2,100 DRP applications are on-hold awaiting assessments from insurance companies. The province has been working with insurance companies to review flood-related claims in a timely fashion, but until they complete their assessment and pass that information on, applications cannot be processed.
  • Of the eligible homeowners who live in the floodway, 101 have expressed interest in the relocation program as of the November 30 deadline. Forty-six offers have been accepted, valued at $42 million. Homeowners who choose not to relocate will not receive DRP support in the event of future floods.
  • There are just over 1,000 people still out of their homes and living in temporary accommodation, including:
    • 565 in the Saddlebrook temporary neighbourhood in High River;
    • 69 in the Great Plains temporary neighbourhood in Calgary;
    • 326 in relief shelters on the Siksika First Nation; and,
    • 49 people in hotels or other accommodations.
  • Of the 985 kilometres of provincial roads closed due to flood damage, 909 kilometres (92 per cent) have reopened. The province announced $110 million over three years for flood mitigation projects for the province’s most vulnerable transportation infrastructure.
  • Three schools remain closed due to flood damage, impacting about 900 students. In High River, 42 modular classrooms are in use by about 700 students. Twelve more modular classrooms have been completed in Calgary and will soon accommodate about 200 more students.
  • To date, more than 3,200 homes in flood-impacted areas have been visited through neighbourhood outreach programs.
  • Over 500 submissions have been made to the Heroes of the Flood program, which aims to recognize groups and individuals who went above and beyond to help our communities during the flood. The deadline for nominations is December 20, 2013.

Track Alberta’s progress from the last update.