The Alberta Disaster Recovery Program, a government program that is supposed to provide financial assistance for uninsurable property damage, loss and other expenses, was rolled out shortly after June's massive flood disaster.
According to the Province the funds cover the costs of returning essential property to functional condition before the disaster happened but there appears to have been a lot of hiccups in the program so far.
According to Deputy Minister of Recovery and Reconstruction, Rick Fraser, the program is getting better every day.
He says everyday we are able to solve more problems for people, we've said from the beginning that everybody's circumstance is a little different.
"I've talked to people in High River who have felt that the process has been tickity boo and that's a direct quote from someone in the Hamptons, and we have other people who have snags," says Fraser.
Whether it's things that we need to work out or something incorrect in their information that they've missed, we are working to address those issues. he explains.
Fraser says, "if you have a problem come and talk to us, that's why we have the office right here in High River, why I am readily available, and my staff is here, that is why were are constantly hiring more people to make sure we are addressing peoples' needs."
"To be a hundred days out, phenomenal progress, " Fraser says, "I would dare say it's lightening speed comparatively to any other jurisdiction that has gone through a disaster but that doesn't mean we stop, that doesn't mean that we stop setting the bar high and trying to achieve better than that."
Fraser says, "the best way to get better is when people have an issue to come into the office so we can sit down with them and figure it out."
It will be just one more problem that we have figured out and maybe it solves ten other problems in the process, Fraser explains.
He says, it's not an easy process to go through, it is complicated.
Particularly, he explains, when you are trying to get people through the various stages because there are some who have moved back in their home and then others who are just seeing their homes for the first time since the disaster.
Fraser encourages anyone who hasn't filed yet to file, "let us know what you need, it might be as simple as they haven't had time to get their license copied for proof of residency, so we will do that for them."
He says, come by our office, give us a phone call, you can stop me in the street and if I don't have the answer I will direct you to the person who does, we will continue to work to solve one problem, one snag, at a time, and hopefully help more people in the process as we move forward.
Fri, May 17, 10:43 AM
Labour
